Assessment of the anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 activity of a water extract from Cinnamon

Introduction: Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a highly prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) The prevalence of HSV-2 infection is increasing in many populations and geographic areas . Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is the cause of most genital herpes and is almost always sexually transmitted. Most HSV-2 infections are consequently expected to occur after the onset of sexual activity. Genital herpes is a cause of morbidity and increases the risk of HIV acquisition, due to disruption of mucosal membranes. Data on prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infections are limited in Asia Methods: Our study focuses on seroepidemiology of HSV-2 infection among pregnant women in Urmia-West Azerbaijan to estimate the regional Seroprevalence of anti HSV-2 antibody in Urmia and to investigate the possible correlation of seropositivity with abortion history. Results: This study was conducted on 86 randomly selected pregnant women. ELISA was performed to detect anti HSV-2 IgG antibody. Detailed history and questionnaire filled. Of the 86 cases screened for anti HSV-2 IgG antibodies, 5 (5.81%) tested positive. Conclusions: These results may have public health importance for our country as the high rate of HSV-2 infection and be useful for designing strategies for focusing prevention efforts for HSV-2 infection

Durable Protection from Herpes Simplex Virus-2 Transmission Following Intravaginal Application of siRNAs Targeting Both a Viral and Host Gene

Female mice have been used extensively to study mucosal immunity against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection of the vagina, but comparatively little is known about the spread of this virus to other tissues. Here the authors have used immunolabeling to demonstrate that HSV-2 infected the vaginal epithelium; the epithelium covering the vulva, perineum, and anal canal; and perineal hair follicles and sebaceous glands. The kinetics and basal localization of the immunolabeling indicated that the virus spread horizontally within the epithelial layer, starting in the vagina and then proceeding to the distal epithelial sites. HSV-2 also spread from the vagina to multiple neuronal sites including the paracervical ganglia (PCG), which are the major autonomic ganglia of the pelvis. The authors demonstrated both sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons in the PCG by labeling of acetylcholinesterase and tryosine hydroxlyase, and noted that infection was limited mainly or entirely to parasympathetic neurons. Infection of the PCG was correlated with the presence of virus in the autonomic ganglia in the walls of the rectum and urinary bladder, which in turn correlated with distention of these organs and retention of urine and feces. HSV-2 infection was also detected in cell bodies and axons in the lumbosacral sympathetic chain, in lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia, and in the dorsal portions of the lumbar spinal cord. Collectively, the data show that vaginal HSV-2 infection in mice leads to subsequent infection of multiple neural and epithelial sites. This information should be useful for development of a mouse model that can be used to study HSV-2 latency and for development of therapeutic vaccines to prevent recurrent infections.

Anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 activity of the Rohdea chinensis (Baker) N. Tanaka aqueous extracts.

Isolates from a total of 228 patients with clinical herpes simplex were included in this study: 92 were from patients in their first episode and 136 were from patients with recurrent genital herpes...

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are endemic, but the clinical characteristics of newly acquired HSV type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV type 2 (HSV-2) infections in adults have not been rigorously defined. We monitored 2393 sexually active HSV-2-seronegative persons for clinical and serologic evidence of new HSV infection. Of the participants, 1508 were seropositive for HSV-1 and 885 were seronegative. Charts were reviewed in a blinded manner for classification of those with genitourinary or oropharyngeal symptoms. Charts were also reviewed for all 174 persons with HSV seroconversion. The rates of new HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections were 1.6 and 5.1 cases per 100 person-years, respectively. Of the 155 new HSV-2 infections, 57 (37 percent) were symptomatic, 47 of which (82 percent) were correctly diagnosed at presentation. Among the 74 patients given a clinical diagnosis of genital HSV-2 during the study, 60 were given a correct diagnosis and 14 were given an incorrect diagnosis of genital herpes, for a ratio of true positive results to false positive results of 4:1. Among the 98 persons with asymptomatic HSV-2 seroconversion, 15 percent had genital lesions at some time during follow-up. Women were more likely than men to acquire HSV-2 (P<0.01) and to have symptomatic infection. Previous HSV-1 infection did not reduce the rate of HSV-2 infection, but it did increase the likelihood of asymptomatic seroconversion, as compared with symptomatic seroconversion, by a factor of 2.6 (P<0.001). Of the 19 new HSV-1 infections, 12 were symptomatic. The rates of symptomatic genital HSV-1 infection and oropharyngeal HSV-1 infection were the same (0.5 case per 100 person-years). Nearly 40 percent of newly acquired HSV-2 infections and nearly two thirds of new HSV-1 infections are symptomatic. Among sexually active adults, new genital HSV-1 infections are as common as new oropharyngeal HSV-1 infections.

Could Antivirals be used to Treat Alzheimer‘s Disease?

To explore the potential relationship of cytomegalovirus (CMV), Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in inflammation and preeclampsia. Fifty-two pregnant women with preeclampsia and 34 with uncomplicated pregnancy in the third trimester were recruited. The exclusions included uterine contractions, multiple pregnancies, rupture of membranes, symptomatic infectious diseases, medical diseases and antibiotics or hormones users. Samples of maternal blood were harvested from two groups. Serum levels of CMV, CP, and HSV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies as well as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in preeclampsia and normal pregnancy controls. (1) Recent infections of CMV, CP and HSV-2 were not more common in patients with preeclampsia versus normal pregnancy. The prevalence rates of long-dated CMV, CP and HSV-2 infection were 94.2% (49/52), 53.9% (28/52) and 3.9% (2/52) in preeclampsia group versus 100.0% (34/34), 55.9% (19/34) and 5.9% (2/34) in control group. No significant difference existed between two groups (P > 0.05). (2) Maternal serum concentrations of IL-6 and hs-CRP in patients with preeclampsia were significantly higher than that in normal pregnancy women ((7.2 ± 2.1) ng/L and (6.8 ± 5.6) mg/L vs (6.2 ± 1.8) ng/L and (4.6 ± 3.0) mg/L, both P < 0.05). Excessive inflammatory reactions are present in women with preeclampsia. But previous infections, as measured by IgM and IgG antibody seropositivity to CMV, CP and HSV-2, are not correlated with preeclampsia in the third trimester.

For many years the differing rates of HIV morbidity in various parts of Africa were attributed mainly to different timing of the introduction of the virus into the general population--as if the level of HIV should inevitably as a sort of natural evolution reach prevalences of about 30%. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa where HIV spreads heterosexually in adults and shows little or no sign of decline. However a multicenter study published in this special UN Joint Progam on AIDS (UNAIDS) supplement was carried out in four African cities specifically to help understand why HIV spreads at different rates and reached different prevalences in these cities. Variations in vulnerability leading to increased HIV sexual exposure and greater efficiency of transmission [related to different patterns of sexual networking and differing prevalences of sexually transmitted diseases for example] were believed to be major epidemiological factors explaining more generalized HIV epidemics in some regions. Targeting children before they initiate sexual activity circumcising males and combating genital herpes are all suggested interventions.

MOST EFFECTIVE VIRAL VACCINES WORK, AT LEAST in part, by inducing antibodies capable of neutralizing the invading virus. Examples among licensed human vaccines include measles, polio, rabies, influenza, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines. Even for diseases such as chickenpox, in which cellular immunity is thought to control disease, administration of specific antibody (eg, varicella-zoster immune globulin) can protect against disease when administered up to 96 hours following viral exposure. Therefore, the report by Corey and colleagues in this issue of THE JOURNAL is perhaps surprising because a herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) vaccine that induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies did not protect against HSV-2 infection. The possible reasons for the apparent failure of this vaccine highlight the empirical nature of vaccine science, the limitations of preclinical and animal model studies, and the need for welldesigned human efficacy trials. Herpes simplex virus type 1 and HSV-2 are common human pathogens that cause a variety of clinical illnesses, including oral-facial infections, genital herpes, ocular infections, herpes encephalitis, and neonatal herpes. While HSV-1 is more frequently associated with nongenital infection, HSV-2 causes most cases of genital herpes. Herpes simplex virus type 2 infects an estimated 500 000 persons annually in the United States, and, despite the availability of antiviral agents to treat HSV disease, the prevalence of genital infections has increased substantially during the past 2 decades. Overall, more than 20% of the general US population has latent HSV-2 infection. Not surprisingly, the increase in HSV-2 prevalence in the adult population has been associated with an increase in reported cases of neonatal herpes. Infection with HSV-2 in neonates is usually acquired through intrapartum contact with infected maternal genital secretions and frequently causes lethal disease. The magnitude of the public health problem posed by HSV-2 infection has focused research on vaccines that could prevent or control HSV-2 infection. To be effective, a prophylactic HSV-2 vaccine would need to decrease the incidence of disease in the population either by preventing infection (sterilizing immunity) or by ameliorating HSV-2–related disease, thereby making the infected individual less contagious. The article by Corey et al describes 2 well-executed placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trials designed to test the efficacy of a recombinant subunit vaccine containing 2 major HSV-2 surface proteins (glycoprotein B2 [gB2] and glycoprotein D2 [gD2]). The subunit vaccine was administered by intramuscular injection at 0, 1, and 6 months. One study enrolled 531 HSV-2– seronegative partners of HSV-2–infected persons. The other study enrolled 1862 persons attending sexually transmitted disease clinics. Subjects were followed up for 12 months after the third immunization. As expected from earlier phase 1 and 2 studies, almost all subjects developed high titers of virus-neutralizing antibodies after 3 immunizations. However, the number of subjects that acquired HSV-2 infection did not differ significantly between the vaccine and placebo groups. The only hint of a beneficial vaccine effect was that the time-to-event curves indicated a 50% lower acquisition rate among vaccine recipients during the first 5 months of the trial. As noted by Corey and colleagues, epidemiologic and preclinical data from studies preceding these trials suggested that anti–HSV-2 antibody might be effective in protecting against HSV-2. Perinatal transmission studies indicated that maternal HSV-2–specific antibodies were associated with a reduction in maternal-fetal transmission. Small animal studies demonstrated that passive transfer of anti–HSV-2 antibody could protect against lethal HSV-2 infection and that the gB2 and gD2 vaccine conferred protection against HSV2–related disease although not against infection. In light of these previous data demonstrating the protective effect of antibody, why did this subunit vaccine fail to protect against acquisition of HSV-2? A key concept regarding the mechanism of protection provided by most vaccines is that they do not provide sterilizing immunity but rather prime immune responses that allow the host to effectively eradicate the invading pathogen after initial infection. Thus, vaccines prevent disease but do not completely prevent initial replication of a pathogen in host tissue. This is an impor-

High prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 in acute retinal necrosis syndrome associated with herpes simplex virus in Japan

SummaryBackgroundA 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis of 55 prospective studies found the adjusted risk of HIV acquisition to be at least tripled in individuals with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection. We aimed to assess the potential contribution of HSV-2 infection to HIV incidence, given an effect of HSV-2 on HIV acquisition.MethodsWe used a classic epidemiological formula to estimate the global and regional (WHO regional) population attributable fraction (PAF) and number of incident HIV infections attributable to HSV-2 infection by age (15–24 years, 25–49 years, and 15–49 years), sex, and timing of HSV-2 infection (established vs recently acquired). Estimates were calculated by incorporating HSV-2 and HIV infection data with pooled relative risk (RR) estimates for the effect of HSV-2 infection on HIV acquisition from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Because HSV-2 and HIV have shared sexual and other risk factors, in addition to HSV-related biological factors that increase HIV risk, we only used RR estimates that were adjusted for potential confounders.FindingsAn estimated 420 000 (95% uncertainty interval 317 000–546 000; PAF 29·6% [22·9–37·1]) of 1·4 million sexually acquired incident HIV infections in individuals aged 15–49 years in 2016 were attributable to HSV-2 infection. The contribution of HSV-2 to HIV was largest for the WHO African region (PAF 37·1% [28·7–46·3]), women (34·8% [23·5–45·0]), individuals aged 25–49 years (32·4% [25·4–40·2]), and established HSV-2 infection (26·8% [19·7–34·5]).InterpretationA large burden of HIV is likely to be attributable to HSV-2 infection, even if the effect of HSV-2 infection on HIV had been imperfectly measured in studies providing adjusted RR estimates, potentially because of residual confounding. The contribution is likely to be greatest in areas where HSV-2 is highly prevalent, particularly Africa. New preventive interventions against HSV-2 infection could not only improve the quality of life of millions of people by reducing the prevalence of herpetic genital ulcer disease, but could also have an additional, indirect effect on HIV transmission.FundingWHO.

Diagnosis of herpes simplex virus infections.

Objective To observe the curative effect of recombinant human interferon (rhIFN) α2b capsule on vaginitis in mice caused by HSV-2.Methods Establish experimental mice model of vaginitis by HSV-2 infection,and treated through mice vaginal with experimental rhIFN α2b at different dosages,using acyclovir as drug control.The morbidity,mortality,and appearance progression of model mice were observed after drug interference.Results The experimental rhIFN α2b treatment can decrease the morbidity,mortality,and disease progression of model mice.The drug effect of high dose 16000IU/d,similar to ACV control,is the best.The effect of low-dose group with rhIFN α2b 4000IU/d treatment is the weakest,and that of mid-dose 8000IU/d is slightly better.Conclusions The tested drug rhIFNα2b showed significant curative effect on mice experimental vaginitis caused by HSV-2. Key words: Recombinant human interferonα2b; Herpes simplex virus; Vaginitis; Curative effect

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)are synergistic copathogens. Biological and epidemiological evidence suggests that HSV-2 infection increases the risk of HIV-1 acquisition and may facilitate the transmission of HIV-1. This review focuses on the epidemiological relationship and biological interaction between HSV-2 and HIV-1. Based on these data, HSV-2infection should be targeted as a risk factor for HIV-1 acquisition, and more prevention through behavioural interventions and antiviral suppression should be incorporated into the strategy for HIV-1 prevention. Key words: Herpesvirus 2, human; HIV-1; Infection; Epidemiology