Longitudinal risk of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1, HSV type 2, and cytomegalovirus infections among young adolescent girls.
BACKGROUND
Cross-sectional seroprevalence studies indicate that infections with herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) are common. However, data on the rates of acquisition of these infections are limited.


METHODS
A 3-year longitudinal study of HSV-1, HSV-2, and CMV seroprevalence was conducted in a cohort of 174 adolescent girls (age at enrollment, 12-15 years).


RESULTS
At study entry, 41% of the girls reported a history of sexual activity, and by the end of the study, 73% reported a history of sexual activity. At enrollment, 71% of all participants were seropositive for CMV, 44% were seropositive for HSV-1, and 7% were seropositive for HSV-2. By the end of the study, 81% of the girls were seropositive for CMV, 49% were seropositive for HSV-1, and 14% were seropositive for HSV-2. Among girls with a history of sexual activity, 15.5% were HSV-2 seropositive at the beginning of the study, and 18.9% were HSV-2 seropositive at the end of the study. The attack rates, based on the number of cases per 100 person-years, were 13.8 for CMV infection and 3.2 for HSV-1 infection (among all girls) and 4.4 for HSV-2 infection (among girls with a history of sexual activity). Participants with preexisting HSV-1 antibodies were associated with a significantly lower attack rate for HSV-2 infection. A generalized estimating equation model indicated that participants with a longer history of sexual activity and those who had more sexually transmitted diseases during the 6-month periods before the study visits were more likely to be HSV-2 seropositive.


CONCLUSIONS
This longitudinal study of adolescent girls found high baseline CMV and HSV-1 seroprevalence rates and substantial attack rates for all 3 pathogens.
Stanberry
Lawrence R
LR
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. l.stanberry@utmb.edu
Rosenthal
Susan L
SL
Mills
Lisa
L
Succop
Paul A
PA
Biro
Frank M
FM
Morrow
Rhoda Ashley
RA
Bernstein
David I
DI
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014505:Urban Population