Abstract
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is an alpha herpes virus, with two subtypes: HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections. It is the cause of severe neonatal infections and a leading cause of infectious blindness in the Western world. As of 2016, 13.2% of the global population ages 15–49 were existing with HSV-2 infection and 66.6% with HSV-1. This high prevalence of disease and the fact that resistance to current therapies is on the rise makes it imperative to develop and discover new methods of HSV prevention and management. Among the arsenal of therapies/treatments for this virus has been the development of a prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine to prevent the complications of HSV reactivation. Our current understanding of the immune responses involved in latency and reactivation provides a unique challenge to the development of vaccines. There are no approved vaccines currently available for either prophylaxis or therapy. However, there are various promising candidates in the pre-clinical and clinical phases of study. Vaccines are being developed with two broad focuses: preventative and therapeutic, some with a dual use as both immunotherapeutic and prophylactic. Within this article, we will review the current guidelines for the treatment of herpes simplex infections, our understanding of the immunological pathways involved, and novel vaccine candidates in development.
Highlights
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a prevalent sexually transmitted infection, a leading cause of infectious blindness in the Western world, and is the most common cause of focal, sporadic encephalitis in the United States
The mRNA vaccine produced superior cell-mediated responses compared to the subunit vaccine, with improved CD4+ T-cell responses including T-follicular CD4+ (Tfh) responses and germinal center B-cell responses. While both formulations were effective and preventing genital lesions in mice and guinea pigs, the mRNA vaccine was superior at preventing HSV-2 infection of the dorsal root ganglia and had reduced viral shedding (Awasthi et al, 2019)
A prophylactic vaccine would be ideal. It would be effective at preventing active infection and transmission of the virus, which would avoid latent infection of the dorsal root ganglia, reactivation and the clinical manifestations accompanying it
Summary
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a prevalent sexually transmitted infection, a leading cause of infectious blindness in the Western world, and is the most common cause of focal, sporadic encephalitis in the United States. Vaccination has been shown to effectively reduce the spread of viral infections and increasing herd immunity (Johnston et al, 2016). The adaptive immune response has been implicated in various studies with the development of virus (HSV) specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Zhu et al, 2007) during active infection and have been shown to persist for months after healing.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
