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.