Viral types of herpes simplex associated with primary and recurrent genital infections in Chile
Suárez, M.; Labbé, V.; Saavedra, T.; Manuel Ojeda, J.
Boletin de la Oficina Sanitaria Panamericana. Pan American Sanitary Bureau 105(1): 13-19
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0030-0632 PMID: 2846003 Document Number: 313308
In view of the different biological behavior of the two types of herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2) that may cause genital infection, it is important to identify the virus strain carried as a means of prognosticating evolution of the disease. The new methods of viral typing with specific monoclonal antibodies represent a significant advance in identifying and gaining improved knowledge of these viral agents. This article presents the results obtained in typing virus strains isolated from 75 middle-class patients of both sexes who in 1985 and 1986 sought dermatological treatment at the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile for genital lesions which were diagnosed as genital herpes. Approximately 75% of the patients were in the 20-39 year age group, with a predominance of females in the 20-39 year subgroup and of males in the 30-39 year group. Of the cases studied, 81% showed recurrent infection and 19% primary infections. Association with the HSV-1 type was found in 29% of primary and in 10% of recurring episodes, whereas 90% of the cases of recurring herpes and 71% of the primary cases were associated with the HSV-2 type. Comparison of the results obtained with data from other countries indicates that the epidemiological situation of herpes genital infection in Chile appears to occupy an intermediate point between that of the United States and Japan, where 90 and 46%, respectively, of all cases detected are due to HSV-2.