TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 among children and adolescents attending a sexual abuse clinic
AU - Ramos, Stephanie
AU - Lukefahr, James L.
AU - Morrow, Rhoda Ashley
AU - Stanberry, Lawrence R.
AU - Rosenthal, Susan L.
PY - 2006/10/1
Y1 - 2006/10/1
N2 - BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents with a history of sexual abuse are at risk for acquiring herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2. We evaluated the prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 and the usefulness for this population of 2 commercially available tests. METHODS: Sera from150 children seen in a sexual abuse clinic were analyzed for type-specific HSV antibodies using Focus HerpeSelect HSV-2 ELISA (Focus), Biokit HSV-2 Rapid Test (Biokit), and by Western blot (WB). RESULTS: The patient sample was 81% female, had a mean age of 11.6 years (range, 1 to 18 years), and was 46% Caucasian, 28% Hispanic, 25% African American, and 2% other. According to WB, 77 (51%) of the children were HSV-1 seropositive. For HSV-2, there was 1 "true positive" (positive by all 3 tests) and 1 patient whose serum had atypical HSV-2 bands by WB but was positive by Focus. There were 6 sera that were positive by Focus and negative by WB. Index values of these 6 Focus tests were not predictive of WB status. For the 105 samples for which Biokit data were available, all samples were concordant with WB. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that routine screening for HSV-2 in sexually abused children does not have a high yield. The Focus test has an unacceptably high rate of false-positive results in children; however, Biokit may be an acceptable substitute for WB in evaluating children for HSV-2 antibodies.
AB - BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents with a history of sexual abuse are at risk for acquiring herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2. We evaluated the prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 and the usefulness for this population of 2 commercially available tests. METHODS: Sera from150 children seen in a sexual abuse clinic were analyzed for type-specific HSV antibodies using Focus HerpeSelect HSV-2 ELISA (Focus), Biokit HSV-2 Rapid Test (Biokit), and by Western blot (WB). RESULTS: The patient sample was 81% female, had a mean age of 11.6 years (range, 1 to 18 years), and was 46% Caucasian, 28% Hispanic, 25% African American, and 2% other. According to WB, 77 (51%) of the children were HSV-1 seropositive. For HSV-2, there was 1 "true positive" (positive by all 3 tests) and 1 patient whose serum had atypical HSV-2 bands by WB but was positive by Focus. There were 6 sera that were positive by Focus and negative by WB. Index values of these 6 Focus tests were not predictive of WB status. For the 105 samples for which Biokit data were available, all samples were concordant with WB. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that routine screening for HSV-2 in sexually abused children does not have a high yield. The Focus test has an unacceptably high rate of false-positive results in children; however, Biokit may be an acceptable substitute for WB in evaluating children for HSV-2 antibodies.
KW - Genital herpes
KW - Herpes simplex virus
KW - Serological screening
KW - Sexual abuse
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33749436568&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33749436568&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/01.inf.0000237831.79072.c8
DO - 10.1097/01.inf.0000237831.79072.c8
M3 - Article
C2 - 17006285
AN - SCOPUS:33749436568
VL - 25
SP - 902
EP - 905
JO - Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
JF - Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
SN - 0891-3668
IS - 10
ER -