Prevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus in Pregnant Women in Ismailia City | ||
Advances in Environmental and Life Sciences | ||
Article 4, Volume 4, Issue 1, July 2023, Pages 43-51 PDF (294.2 K) | ||
Document Type: Original research articles | ||
DOI: 10.21608/aels.2023.204949.1031 | ||
Authors | ||
Shimaa Abbas Shihata Hassan* 1; Maha Anani2; Nashwa Harb1; Amal Gomaa3; Hanaa Gomaa1 | ||
1Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia , Egypt | ||
2Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt | ||
3Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt | ||
Abstract | ||
Abstract Introduction: Herpes simplex virus infections are usually asymptomatic, however infection during pregnancy is life-threatening for pregnant women and their newborns. Objectives: We aimed to assess both the seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 among pregnant women in Ismailia City as well as the impact of pregnancy duration on their prevalence. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 94 serum samples of pregnant women in Ismailia City. The presence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 antibodies (IgG and IgM) and viremia were evaluated by commercial ELISA and (RT-PCR) techniques. Results: Our findings revealed high frequency of HSV-1 and 2 infections among the studied cases with percentages of 74.5% and 98.9%, respectively. Upon the interpretation of the HSV serological profiles, the past latent infection with HSV-1 and 2 were the most prevalent types of infection representing 74.5% and 92.5%, respectively, followed by HSV-2 recurrent infection which was more prevalent (6.4%) than HSV-1 recurrent infection (0%), and no primary infection was found. HSV-2 co-infection was detected in all the HSV-1 positive cases (n= 70, 74.5%). Moreover, there was no correlation between pregnancy duration and HSV-1 and 2 seroprevalences. In addition, the real-time PCR confirmed the positivity of the HSV-2 IgM subjects (n=6), while ruling out the equivocal sample as HSV-2 IgM negative. Conclusion: Pregnancy screening for herpes simplex viruses is recommended to control the high viral seropositivity found among pregnant women in Ismailia City. Furthermore, the real-time PCR technique improves the diagnostic value of serological tests. | ||
Keywords | ||
Herpes simplex virus type 1; Herpes simplex virus type 2; Pregnant women; Seroprevalence | ||
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