Seroprevalence Study of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 among Pregnant Women in Germany Using a Type-Specific Enzyme Immunoassay

Enders, Gisela; Risse, Bernhard; Zauke, Michael; Bolley, I.; Knotek, Frank

doi:10.1007/s100960050210

Cited by 33 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Recently, a HSV-2 seroprevalence rate of 8.9% among pregnant women in Germany has been reported [Enders et al,1998]. The higher HSV-2 seroprevalence rate of 15.1% among our female population aged between 20 and 29 years must be interpreted in the context of the differing background of age and serological testing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in selected German populations?relevance for the incidence of genital herpes

et al. 2000

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This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of antibodies to herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2) in selected German populations, such as blood donors, hospital patients, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive individuals. Serum samples collected between 1996 and 1998 were tested by enzyme immunoassays using monoclonal antibody-selected native gG1 and gG2 as antigens and an immunoblot using type-specific recombinant glycoproteins. Equivocal results were resolved by an "in-house" Western blot assay. The prevalence of HSV-1 antibodies increased steadily with age and reached high levels of >/=88% among subjects 40 years of age or older. In the sample of patients and blood donors, the HSV-2 seroprevalence was 12.8% (95% CI = 11.9-13.8%). About 81% of the HSV-2 seropositive subjects were coinfected with HSV-1. When adjusted for age, there was no difference in the HSV-2 seroprevalence between hospital patients and blood donors. The HSV-2 seroprevalence was significantly higher among women (15%) than among men (10.5%), yielding a female : male odds ratio of 1.5 for hospital patients and of 1.67 for blood donors. Among the HIV-infected population, 91.1% were seropositive for HSV-1 and 47.9% for HSV-2. HIV-infected women have a significantly higher risk of HSV-2 infection than men (odds ratio [OR] = 3.22; 95% confidence ratio [CI] 1.99-5.20). In conclusion, although the rate of infections with HSV-2 is relatively low in the German population, attention should be given to the further development in adolescents, especially in view of a possible decrease of HSV-1 seroprevalence in childhood.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in selected German populations?relevance for the incidence of genital herpes

et al. 2000

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“…A study in pregnant women shows an increase from 17% to 33% over a period of 20 years in Sweden [7]. On the other hand, in a German investigation the seroprevalence of HSV-2 in pregnant women was 8.9% [4]. For middle Europe only few data are available, and little is known about changes in frequency and type of herpes genitalis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in Germany: what has changed?

Buxbaum

Geers

Gross

et al. 2003

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

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Infections with herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 are widespread in all human populations and result in persistent and latent infections. HSV-1 is commonly responsible for orofacial, HSV-2 more likely causes genital lesions. Herpes genitalis is one of the most important sexually transmitted diseases; furthermore, there are severe diseases associated with HSV (e.g., encephalitis). Over the last years an increase in clinical manifestations of HSV has been reported, and HSV-1 has been increasingly discussed as causative agent of herpes genitalis. We retrospectively evaluated the laboratory results of our routine diagnostic service for HSV infections, looking for changes of HSV epidemiology in recent years. Specimens from 2,678 herpes patients were obtained between 1 January 1996 and 31 March 2002. Using cell culture, the presence of HSV was investigated in swabs taken from different body sites, and clinical data on HSV localization and type were evaluated. We found 345 patients positive for HSV-1 and 212 positive for HSV-2. Clinical data were available from 72.1% of the patients with HSV-1, and 61.3% of those with HSV-2 infection. In genital herpes HSV-1 was the causative agent in 20% of men and in 25% of women. In patients suffering from orofacial herpes HSV-2 was detected in 7% of men and in 4% of women. To evaluate the frequency of neurological HSV diseases, 2,406 cerebrospinal fluid samples (CSF) from 2,121 patients suspected of meningitis or encephalitis were tested for HSV DNA by the polymerase chain reaction. Among those patients, 120 showed CSF positive for HSV DNA. Serum surveys of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection recently established in our region were compared to similar studies performed in Germany 25 years ago. We found that seroprevalences have not changed over the last 25 years and that neurological HSV diseases are rare. However, as in the USA, a significant percentage of herpes genitalis is caused by HSV-1 in Germany.

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“…17.2% in 1988± 1989, 19.2% in 1990± 1991, and 20.7% of pregnant women were seronegative for HSV antibodies of both types. HSV-2 prevalence in Germany seems to be lower than that in Scandinavia (14.2± 33%) 11 .…”

Section: Herpes Genitalismentioning

confidence: 98%

Sexually transmitted diseases in Germany

et al. 2002

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In the former West Germany, in specific venereal diseases legislation passed in 1953, only syphilis, gonorrhoea, ulcus molle, and lymphogranuloma venereum were defined as venereal diseases and subject to mandatory notification. The proportion of unreported cases was as high as 75% for syphilis and up to 90% for gonorrhoea. Epidemiological data for the past 10 years exist only on selected populations from research studies and are summarized in this article. In the former East Germany reporting of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was mandatory and, due to the centralized organization, underreporting was considered to be low, although no specific studies have examined this. After the unification in 1990 of the two German states the West German laws were adopted in East Germany. Since 1982 - when the first AIDS case was reported in Germany - information on AIDS cases has voluntarily been collected at the national register at the AIDS Centre of the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin. The law governing the reporting of infectious diseases has recently been revised. Under the new Protection against Infection Act, which became effective on 1 January 2001, clinical diagnoses of STIs (with the exception of hepatitis B) are no longer notifiable diseases. Laboratory reporting of positive test results for Treponema pallidum has been introduced. With T. pallidum and HIV notifications, additional disaggregated data are collected. Since T. pallidum and HIV remain the only notifiable STIs, all other STIs have to be monitored through sentinel surveillance systems. These surveillance systems are currently being established. Under the new legislation, local health authorities have to provide adequate counselling and testing services for STIs, which may be provided free of charge if necessary.

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Seroprevalence Study of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 among Pregnant Women in Germany Using a Type-Specific Enzyme Immunoassay

Cited by 33 publications

References 7 publications

Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in selected German populations?relevance for the incidence of genital herpes

Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in selected German populations?relevance for the incidence of genital herpes

Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in Germany: what has changed?

Sexually transmitted diseases in Germany

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