1. Decline in the prevalence of antibodies to herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 among Israeli young adults between 1984 and 2002.
- Author
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Davidovici BB, Grotto I, Balicer RD, Robinson NJ, and Cohen D
- Subjects
- Adult, Antibodies, Viral blood, Cross-Sectional Studies, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Health Transition, Herpes Simplex blood, Herpes Simplex etiology, Herpes Simplex prevention & control, Herpesvirus 1, Human isolation & purification, Herpesvirus 2, Human isolation & purification, Humans, Immunoglobulin G immunology, Israel epidemiology, Male, Military Personnel statistics & numerical data, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Herpes Simplex epidemiology, Herpes Simplex virology, Herpesvirus 1, Human immunology, Herpesvirus 2, Human immunology
- Abstract
Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 in male and female soldiers discharged from the Israel Defense Force (IDF) over a period of 18 years., Goal: The goal of this study was to study the secular trends of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection rates in Israeli young adults., Study Design: Three consecutive cross-sectional studies were carried out on stored sera of systematic random samples of soldiers (median age = 20.8) discharged from the IDF in 1984-1985, 1992-1993, and 2001-2002. HSV-1 and -2 seroprevalence was analyzed using indirect IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for type-specific antibodies., Results: There was a significant decrease in HSV-1 and HSV-2 seropositivity rates at discharge from the army and an estimated 10-fold decline in the incidence rates of HSV-2 infection during the military service over the last 2 decades., Conclusions: The decline in HSV-1 seroprevalence rate is similar to that reported from other industrialized countries. The decrease in HSV-2 seroprevalence and transmission rates among Israeli young adults is steeper than that reported from Western countries.
- Published
- 2006
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