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. 2000 May;27(5):292-5.
doi: 10.1097/00007435-200005000-00011.

Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection among attendees of a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Italy. Italian Herpes Forum

M Cusini  1 , M Cusan, C Parolin, L Scioccati, I Decleva, C Mengoli, B Suligoi, G Palú
Affiliations

Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection among attendees of a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Italy. Italian Herpes Forum

M Cusini et al. Sex Transm Dis. 2000 May.

Abstract

Background and objectives: An increased prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection has been recently observed in industrialized countries.

Goal: To determine HSV-2 seroprevalence in a high-risk population in Italy.

Study design: A cross-sectional study was performed to ascertain the HSV-2 prevalence among 919 persons attending an STD clinic in northern Italy. A HSV-2-specific glycoprotein G-2-based immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (Gull/Meridian ELISA; Meridian Diagnostics, Cincinnati, OH) was used and validated against Western blot analysis.

Results: A prevalence of 24.6% was found without differences between males and females. Seroprevalence increased with age and number of partners during the previous year. Compared with Western blot analysis, the Gull/Meridian ELISA showed a sensitivity of 91.9% and a specificity of 98%, and positive and negative predictive values of 93.9% and 97.4%, respectively.

Conclusion: This is the first Italian survey of HSV-2 infection conducted with a properly validated, Food and Drug Administration-approved, type-specific serologic method in a high-risk population. It is likely that between one to three million adults are infected with HSV-2.

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