Herpesvirus hominis antibodies among children and young adults in Ibadan.

Abstract

SUMMARY A total of 422 sera collected from children and young adults living in Ibadan, Nigeria, has been examined for the presence of antibodies to type 1 and type 2 herpesvirus hominis. Type 1 antibodies were rapidly acquired from the age of 1 year onwards, reflecting the relatively poor living standards and the overcrowded accommodation among the population studied. Type 2 antibodies were acquired between the ages of 3 and 5 years. It is suggested that non-venereal spread of the virus must be responsible; prolonged survival of the virus on fomites, owing to the high environmental humidity, possibly accounts for this.

Aetiology of genital ulceration in the Gambia.

“…It has been shown that neutralising antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 2 are often acquired in childhood in one African city. 20 Meheus has proposed guidelines for the treatment of genital ulcers in African clinics without laboratory facilities.2' We have confirmed his view that cotrimoxazole two tablets twice daily for one week, combined with saline washes, is an effective regimen for the treatment of chancroid; this is reflected in our in vitro findings, all isolates of H ducreyi being found to be sensitive to trimethoprim (Wall RA, unpublished observation). In view of the high proportion of genital ulcers that is due to chancroid, we have recommended that the optimum treatment for this condition in Gambian health centres should be cotrimoxazole and saline washes, as above, combined…”

Obstetric outcomes of human herpes virus-2 infection among pregnant women in Benin, Nigeria

“…This agrees with previous reports on the effects of the first episode HSV-2 infection on obstetric outcome. [3][4][5][6][7] Contrary to this finding, another previous prospective study in USA reported no significant increase in the negative outcomes of pregnancy among "incident HSV-2 infection" participants, relative to other cohorts. [2] The reason for this difference in research finding may be due to the fact that in advanced countries of the world like USA, there is better health facilities, that ensures better management of pregnant women than in third world countries; this helps reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with all forms of infections, including HSV in advanced countries of the world.…”

“…[13] Furthermore, our finding of significant association of incident HSV-2 infection with increased chance of occurrence of LBW deliveries, preterm deliveries, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortions is in agreement with previous reports from USA. [3][4][5][6][7] To our knowledge, this is the first study on the effects of HSV-2 infection on outcome of pregnancy in Nigeria. Consequent on paucity of study reports assessing the burden of HSV-2 infection in pregnancy in Nigeria and Africa, [13] it is difficult to effect comparisons or assess trends.…”

“…[2][3][4] HSV-2 infection in pregnancy is reported to be associated with increased frequency of occurrence of certain negative obstetric outcomes: Spontaneous abortions, intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), stillbirths, preterm labor, fetal malformations, congenital herpes, neonatal herpes, intrauterine growth retardation, intrauterine death, low birth weight (LBW) deliveries, and spontaneous abortions. [5][6][7] These obstetric complications and other complications of HSV-2 infection, have been reported to be mitigated by the presence of heterologous antibodies, which was reported to be 100% prevalent in Ibadan, Nigeria in a study done about 35 years ago. [1,8] It is necessary to assess the pattern of occurrence of these complications among pregnant women.…”

Sexually transmitted diseases among randomly selected attenders at an antenatal clinic in The Gambia.

“…Neisseria gonorrhoeae-After incubation at 37°C in 5% carbon dioxide for 48 hours, isolates were confirmed as N gonorrhoeae by colonial appearance, Gram stain, and oxidase test. Chiamydia trachomatis-Specimens were inoculated by centrifugation (2500 x g at 33°C for 1 hour) on to McCoy cells, which were subsequently treated with cycloheximide 2 mg/l in minimum essential medium containing glucose and 10% fetal calf serum, as described by Ripa and Mardh.…”