Laboratory investigations of herpes simplex virus-1 and -2 clinical samples in Korea

OBJECTIVES: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections have been reported in 60% to 95% of the adult population worldwide, making them one of the most common infectious conditions globally. HSV-1 and HSV-2 cause severe disease in immunocompromised patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide information that could be used to reduce the incidence of genital herpes caused by HSV-1 and HSV-2. METHODS: From September 2018 to December 2020, 59,381 specimens were collected from outpatients across primary and secondary hospitals in Korea who requested U2Bio (Korea) to conduct molecular biological testing of their samples for sexually transmitted infections. In this study, the positivity rates of HSV-1 and HSV-2 were analyzed according to age, sex, and specimen type. RESULTS: In the age-specific analysis of HSV-1, the highest positivity rate (0.58%) was observed in patients under 19 years of age, whereas the lowest positivity rate (0.08%) was observed in patients aged over 70 years. In the age-specific analysis of HSV-2, the highest positivity rate (2.53%) was likewise observed in patients under 19 years of age. CONCLUSION: Our study identified differences in the infection rates of HSV-1 and HSV-2 depending on patients’ sex and age. These differences will be useful for improving disease prevention and control measures for HSV-1 and HSV-2.