Elucidation of the relationship between reproductive failure and human herpesvirus 6 and 7

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K16799
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56040:Obstetrics and gynecology-related
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Nagamata Satoshi 神戸大学, 医学研究科, 助教 (50816642)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: HHV-6 / 不育症 / 反復着床不全

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Using endometrial specimens collected from patients with recurrent pregnancy loss attending our clinic, we performed real time PCR to investigate the presence or absence of HHV-6 and its association with recurrent pregnancy loss. However, HHV-6 DNA was not detected. The association between HHV-6 and recurrent pregnancy loss was considered to be low. Next, patients with recurrent implantation failure at a specialized infertility treatment hospital were examined. DNA collected from the endometrium and examined for the presence of HHV-6 DNA. But the detection rate was very low (2.3%), and even in HHV-6 DNA-positive cases, pregnancy and delivery were observed. In conclusion, HHV-6 is unlikely to be associated with recurrent pregnancy loss and infertility in Japan.

Free Research Field

産科婦人科学分野

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

海外のデータでは、子宮内膜HHV6と不妊症（反復着床不全）との関連性が指摘されていたが、本邦においてのデータはこれまで無かった。また不育症患者とHHV6との関連性については、これまで海外においても報告がなかった。反復着床不全および不育症の原因は不明なことも多く、挙児を希望する女性において重要な課題であった。そこで本邦における不育症患者や着床不全患者の子宮内膜等からDNAを抽出し、HHV-6 DNAの有無を検討を行った。しかしHHV-6DNAの検出率は非常に低く、またHHV-6陽性例からも妊娠出産が確認されており、不育症や不妊症との関連性は低いと考えられた。