SERO-prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 among women attending routine Cervicare clinics in Ghana

Abstract

BackgroundHerpes simplex virus infection is a global health concern with disproportionately high burden in low and middle-income countries. There is a paucity of data on the prevalence of HSV infection in Ghana, which necessitated the present study.The aim of the study was to provide up-to-date data on sero-prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection among women attending Cervicare clinics in Ghana.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study in which 380 women attending routine Cervicare clinics at Regional Hospitals in Kumasi and Accra, Ghana were enrolled into the study. Serum HSV-1 IgG and HSV-2 IgG were determined by ELISA method. The Chi-square test was used to investigate the association between sero-prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 and socio-demographic and behavioral factors using the Statistical Package for the Social Scientists (SPSS) version 22. Statistical significance was accepted at p < 0.05.ResultsThe overall HSV-1 and HSV-2 sero-prevalence estimates were 99.2% (95% CI: 98.0–100%) and 78.4% (95% CI: 74.5–81.8%) respectively. The study observed 78.2% cross-positive prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 among the studied participants. There was no association between the presence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection and age (χ2 = 2.351, p = 0.799 and χ2 = 1.655, p = 0.895 respectively). Our findings however, revealed association between the prevalence of HSV-2 and the age at coitarche (p = 0.021) as well as with number of sexual partners (p = 0.022).ConclusionsThe sero-prevalence estimates of HSV-1 and HSV-2 among the study population of women in Ghana were found to be high. This high prevalence could be attributed to high endemicity and inadequate intervention in this population. There is the need to raise awareness through organized public health screening and education to ensure control.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-018-3288-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Seroprevalence and characterisation of herpes simplex virus from human immunodeficiency virus in samples collected from two provinces in South Africa: a retrospective study

“…Of the positive HSV samples, 85.7% were positive for HSV-2. Conversely, the most prevalent type of HSV (HSV-1) as recorded by previous studies ( Debrah et al ., 2018 ; Looker & Garnett, 2005 ), was not highly prevalent in this study population (11.4%). This may be due to the small sample size as HSV-1 infection is often acquired during childhood and there were no childhood participants in the study (age range 1–10 years).…”

“…This was also observed in a similar study by Debrah et al . where they assessed the seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 among women in Ghana and discovered that 78.4% of the study population are positive for HSV-2 ( Debrah et al ., 2018 ). In addition, the prevalence of HSV-2 in this study is higher than HSV-2 prevalence in other African countries like Zimbabwe (68%) and Uganda (58%) ( Kurewa et al, 2010 ; Nakku-Joloba et al, 2014 ).…”

Sero-diagnosis of &lt;i&gt;Chlamydia trachomatis&lt;/i&gt; and Molecular Detection of Genital Oncogenic &lt;i&gt;Human Papilloma Virus&lt;/i&gt; Among Cameroonian Women

“…At the end of the day, all blood samples were centrifuged at 12 000 g for 10 minutes and 500 µl of serum extracted avoiding mixing with blood cells and aliquoted into a 1.5 ml eppendorf tube clearly labelled with the participants' identification number. The serum sample obtained was stored at -20°C freezer until analysis [17]. Blood samples from different study sites were transported in the cool environment (+4-8°C) to the Applied Biochemistry Laboratory of the Faculty of Health Sciences-University of Buea for analysis.…”

Optimizing Combinatory Drugs using Markov Chain-Based Models

“…In contrast, drug mixtures are generally more effective than single effectors because multiple drugs simultaneously act on different pathways and cell targets, potentially leading to higher efficacy and lower toxicity because of drug synergy [6]. Therefore, in the clinical treatment of complex diseases, such as parasitic nematode infections or herpes simplex virus (HSV), a variety of drugs have been used in combination for treatment improvement [7].…”