"Genital Shedding of Herpes Simplex Virus Among Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Persons With HSV-2 Infection"

Filed under Viral Shedding

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21486977

Abstract CONTEXT: Since herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) antibody tests have become commercially available, an increasing number of persons have learned that they have genital herpes through serologic testing. The course of natural history of HSV-2 in asymptomatic, seropositive persons is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the virologic and clinical course of HSV genital shedding among individuals with symptomatic and asymptomatic HSV-2 infection. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cohort of 498 immunocompetent HSV-2-seropositive persons enrolled in prospective studies of genital HSV shedding at the University of Washington Virology Research Clinic, Seattle, and Westover Heights Clinic, Portland, Oregon, between March 1992 and April 2008. Each participant obtained daily self-collected swabs of genital secretions for at least 30 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The rate of viral shedding measured by quantitative real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction for HSV DNA from genital swabs.