Changes in prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 antibodies from 1973 to 1993 in the rural districts of Japan.
Using the gG-capture ELISA, changes in the seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 from 1973 to 1993 were studied for 614 sera collected from general adults living in rural Japan. The HSV-1 seroprevalence for men and women decreased from 75.3 and 80.6% in 1973 to 54.4 and 59.6%, respectively, in 1993. The HSV-2 seroprevalence also decreased from 10.2 and 9.9% in 1973 to 1.8 and 1.2%, respectively, in 1993. Although the decrease in HSV-2 prevalence seemed to be correlated with the general decrease of sexually transmitted diseases in Japan since the 1950s, these findings should not be interpreted as typical, as HSV-2 infections are particularly known to distribute unevenly among populations, according to sexual activity and cohorts.
Hashido
M
M
Infectious Diseases Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan. mdkhsd@nih.go.jp
Kawana
T
T
Matsunaga
Y
Y
Inouye
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population
D000914:Antibodies, Viral