Are we one step closer to recognizing HHV-6 is a public health crisis?

Scientists discover ‘fatigue’ protein that raises hope of blood test to diagnose depression 


"Prof. Kondo’s team was able to confirm that the human herpes virus type 6, or HHV6, increases sharply in a person’s saliva when fatigue and stress build up. Virtually everyone is infected with the virus during infancy and it typically remains dormant in the body. When a person becomes tired, however, HHV6 can become active again and can be detected in saliva. Some of the virus also travels to the olfactory bulb, the part of the brain that is connected to the sense of smell. Should the olfactory bulb become infected, it produces SITH1 proteins – which Prof. Kondo first identified a decade ago and jokingly named after the Dark Lord of the Sith in the Star Wars series of films because it “takes people to the dark side”, he said. The proteins produce excessive amounts of calcium, which then flow into brain cells and kill them. The death of cells also reduces the regeneration of nerves in the hippocampus, which controls human memory. Over time, the protein impacts a person’s ability to make decisions, induces lethargy and other symptoms linked to depression."

Source: http://www.wallnen.com/scientists-discover-fatigue-protein-that-raises-hope-of-blood-test-to-diagnose-depression.html