Human herpesvirus 6A infection and immunopathogenesis in humanized Rag2⁻/⁻ γc⁻/⁻ mice.

Although serious human diseases have been correlated with human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) and HHV-6B, the lack of animal models has prevented studies which would more definitively link these viral infections to disease. HHV-6A and HHV-6B have recently been classified as two distinct viruses, and in this study we focused specifically on developing an in vivo model for HHV-6A. Here we show that Rag2⁻/⁻γc⁻/⁻ mice humanized with cord blood-derived human hematopoietic stem cells produce human T cells that express the major HHV-6A receptor, CD46.