Seroprevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus Types 1 and 2 among Pregnant Women in South-Western Romania
Cristiana Luiza Radoi,
Oana Mariana Cristea,
Dan Dumitru Vulcanescu,
Adela Voinescu,
Tiberiu Liviu Dragomir,
Laurentiu Vasile Sima,
Sonia Tanasescu,
Octavia Oana Harich,
Andrei Theodor Balasoiu,
Dominic Gabriel Iliescu,
Ovidiu Zlatian
Affiliations
Cristiana Luiza Radoi
Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
Oana Mariana Cristea
Microbiology Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
Dan Dumitru Vulcanescu
Department of Microbiology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Adela Voinescu
Department of Microbiology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Tiberiu Liviu Dragomir
Medical Semiology II Discipline, Internal Medicine Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Sq. No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Laurentiu Vasile Sima
Surgical Semiology Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Sonia Tanasescu
Department of Pediatrics, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Sq. No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Octavia Oana Harich
Department of Functional Sciences, Immuno-Physiology and Biotechnologies Center, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, No. 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Andrei Theodor Balasoiu
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
Dominic Gabriel Iliescu
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
Ovidiu Zlatian
Microbiology Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
Background: Pregnancy-related infections with the human herpes simplex virus (HSV) strains HSV-1 and HSV-2 are particularly noteworthy. There are numerous reported examples of intrapartum transmission of herpes infection, notwithstanding the extreme rarity of intrauterine transfer from mother to fetus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies in pregnant women in the western region of Romania. Methods: Pregnant women who presented for routine pregnancy monitoring at Romania’s County Clinical Emergency Hospital in Craiova between 2013 and 2016 and 2019 and 2022 were included in the study. In order to find anti-HSV-1/2 IgG antibodies, we conducted serological testing on the patients and gathered demographic information from them. Results: HSV-1 seroprevalence was shown to have declined in rural areas and increased in urban areas, with values between 2013 and 2016 being 89.30% and those between 2019 and 2022 being 84.96%, respectively. Women over 35 who were pregnant had the highest seroprevalence. The seroprevalence of HSV-2 decreased from 16.16% in 2013–2016 to 12.43% in 2019–2022, and both rural and urban areas continued to experience this declining trend. Similarly, pregnant women over 35 years old had the highest frequency of HSV-1 infections. Conclusions: Establishing educational programs and other actions to reduce the transmission rate and ultimately the prevalence of the disease can be made easier with knowledge about the seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections.
