title: Orally administered HSV-specific transfer factor (TF) prevents genital or labial herpes relapses.
abstract: Forty-four patients suffering from genital (22) and labial (22) herpes were orally treated with HSV-1/2-specific transfer factor (TF). TF was obtained by in vitro replication of a HSV-1/2-specific bovine dialysable lymphocyte extract. Treatment was administered bi-weekly the first 2 weeks, and then weekly for 6 months, most patients received 2-3 courses. The total observation period for all patients before treatment was 26,660 days, with 544 relapses, and a relapse index of 61.2, whereas the cumulative observation period during and after treatment was 16,945 days, with a total of 121 relapsing episodes and a cumulative RI of 21.4 (P < 0.0001). Results were equally significant when the 2 groups of patients (labial and genital) were considered separately. These observations confirm previous results obtained with bovine HSV-specific TF, and warrant further studies to establish HSV-specific TF as a choice of treatment for preventing herpes recurrences.
authors.affiliation: Immunodiagnosis and Immunotherapy Unit, 1st-Division of Urology, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pizza
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Viza
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Vinci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palareti
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cuzzocrea
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fornarola
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baricordi
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005260:Female; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006560:Herpes Labialis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014165:Transfer Factor / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014165:Transfer Factor