Is Herpes Simplex virus (HSV) a sign of Encephalitis in Iranian Newborns? Prevalence of HSV Infection in Pregnant Women in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: Herpes Simplex virus (HSV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of herpes simplex virus in pregnant women in Iran. MATERIALS & METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted to study the HSV subtypes in Persian and English papers through several databases. We searched Pub Med, Scopus, Ovid, Science Direct and national databases as Magiran, Iranmedex and Science Information Database (SID) up to October 2015. Random-effects model were applied to calculate the pooled prevalence of HSV subtypes. RESULTS: Five eligible studies were identified, including 1140 participants. The pooled prevalence of HSV infection in pregnant women was 0.64% (95% CI: 0.10- 1.18) in Iran. The pooled prevalence of studies on both HSV-1 and HSV-2 was 0.91% (CI: 0.81-1.02) and studies on only HSV-2 was 0.23% (CI: -0.61-0.63), respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HSV infection in pregnant women in Iran was higher. HSV infection of the central nervous system, especially with HSV-2, can also cause recurrent aseptic meningitis and monophasic, as well as radiuculitis or myelitis. The performance of screening to detect infection in pregnant women can play an important role in the prevention and treatment of patients and help to prevent the transmission of HSV infection to infants in Iran.