1. Seroprevalence and characterisation of herpes simplex virus from human immunodeficiency virus in samples collected from two provinces in South Africa: a retrospective study.
- Author
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Obisesan OS, Sithebe NP, and Mufhandu HT
- Subjects
- Herpesvirus 2, Human, Humans, Persistent Infection, Phylogeny, Retrospective Studies, Seroepidemiologic Studies, South Africa epidemiology, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV-1, Herpes Genitalis
- Abstract
Background: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a widely distributed human pathogen that is known for its ulcerative lesions at the infection site. HSV can cause persistent infection in the host that is often followed by a period of latency within the neurons. Considering the high rate of HIV infection in South Africa, it is important to assess the seroprevalence of HSV with a focus to determine the epidemiological association between HSV-DNA and HIV-1 in the population. Methods: A total of 44 sera samples were screened for HSV and HIV-1 using the highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The ELISA positive samples were characterized using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to confirm the positivity of both viruses and to further differentiate HSV into HSV-1 and -2. Thereafter, the samples were analysed for relatedness using phylogenetic analysis. Results: Of the 44 samples, 36 (81.8%) were positive for HIV-1, while 35 (79.5%) were positive for HSV when screened with ELISA kits. The PCR results, with the use of type specific primers, showed that 4/35 (11.4%) samples were specific for HSV-1 while 30/35 (85.7%) were specific for HSV-2. Statistical analysis performed using the chi-squared goodness-of-fit test showed that there is a significant relationship between HSV-2 and HIV-1 transmission. Conclusions: There is a significant relationship between HSV-2 and HIV-1 in the study population. Our study shows that some of the HSV-2 isolates are not related to the clinical isolate SD90e from South Africa, suggesting diversity in HSV-2 viral transmission., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2021 Obisesan OS et al.)
- Published
- 2021
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