Seroprevalence of human alphaherpesvirus 1 and 2 among pregnant women infected or uninfected with Zika virus from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

Pregnant women are an important group to be monitored for infection due to the risk of transmitting infections to their babies. Both herpes simples virus (HSV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) are neurotropic viruses that can be transmitted congenitally. In this study, the prevalence and risk factors of HSV among Zika‐positive and ‐negative pregnant women from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were evaluated and compared. About 167 serum samples included in our study were from pregnant women with ZIKV infection symptoms, who were attended to in different hospitals in Rio de Janeiro between November 2015 to February 2016. Blood samples collected from 167 pregnant women were used for this study. The presence of HSV antibodies and viremia were evaluated by commercial ELISA and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction analyses, respectively. The data obtained from medical records were statistically analyzed. The HSV‐1 and HSV‐2 prevalence among pregnant women was 80.2% and 12.5% for Zika‐positive women and 84.5% and 5.6% for Zika‐negative women, respectively. None of the pregnant women exhibited HSV viremia. Age, trimester of gestation, and skin color were associated with HSV‐1 and HSV‐2 prevalence among the groups studied. HSV‐2 was more prevalent in Zika‐positive pregnant women than in Zika‐negative pregnant women, and this simultaneous infection should be better investigated in future studies.

Isolation, typing, and acyclovir susceptibility of human herpesvirus 1 and 2 detected in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…A seroepidemiological study carried out in Rio de Janeiro from March 1996 to March 1997 among male individuals who had sex with other men showed that the prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 was 83.5% and 63.4%, respectively 8 . A recent study showed that the HSV-1 and HSV-2 prevalence among pregnant women in Rio de Janeiro was 80.2% and 12.5%, respectively 9 . In Londrina, Paraná State, a study analyzed five HHV isolates collected between June 2009 and June 2010 from clinical specimens of individuals with either oral or genital lesions, clinically compatible with herpesvirus infection, and demonstrated that all the isolates were sensitive to ACV 10 .…”