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The Spectrum of Genital Herpes Simplex Virus Infection in Men Attending a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic

2006; Oxford University Press; Volume: 193; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/500841

1537-6613

James M. Sizemore, Fred D. Lakeman, Richard J. Whitley, Annalee Hughes, Edward W. Hook,

Bartonella species infections research

BackgroundThe spectrum of genital herpes (GH) has been understudied in men, especially African American men MethodsConsecutive men attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic were enrolled in a study of GH epidemiology. Consenting participants answered questionnaires detailing their sexual and social activities and underwent serological testing for herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and -2) and collection of genital swabs for viral detection ResultsOf the 516 men enrolled, 465 (90%) were African American. Antibodies to HSV-1 were present in 315 (61%) of participants, and 233 (45%) had antibodies to HSV-2. Factors associated with HSV-2 infection included older age and African American race. HSV was detected in genital swabs from 52 men; 43 (82.7%) swabs were HSV-2 positive, and 9 (17.3%) were HSV-1 positive. The overall viral shedding rate among men (n=247) with evidence of GH (HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection) was 21.1%, and the asymptomatic shedding rate in this same group was 5.2%. The sensitivities of culture for detection of HSV-1 and HSV-2 were .22 and .58, respectively, compared with that of polymerase chain reaction ConclusionsGenital HSV infections are common and largely unrecognized among this segment of the population. HSV-1 infection constitutes a nontrivial proportion of GH in these men