Type specific seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in four geographical regions of Poland.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the type specific seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 infections, stratified by age and gender, and associated risk factors for HSV-2 seropositivity in Poland.


METHODS
2257 serum samples of individuals from 15-65 years were randomly selected from serum banks in four different geographical regions of Poland, including the Zachodnio-pomorskie, Warmińsko-mazurskie, Lubelskie, and Mazowieckie districts. Type specific serum antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 were detected using HerpeSelect IgG ELISA tests.


RESULTS
Overall prevalences of type specific HSV-1 and HSV-2 serum antibodies were 90.4% and 9.3%, respectively. Age standardised HSV-2 seroprevalence was higher in women (9.7%) than men (8.8%) (p = 0.06), and increased notably with age from 4% in 15-24 year olds to 12% in those aged 50-65 years. HSV-1 seroprevalence was consistently higher than HSV-2 seroprevalence in each specific age group, ranging from 74.5% in 15-24 year olds to 98.8% in 50-65 year olds. HSV-2 seroprevalence varied significantly by geographical region, with the highest prevalence in the Zachodnio-pomorskie district (12%). Significant multivariate risk factors for HSV-2 seropositivity included older age, female gender, and geographical place of residence.


CONCLUSIONS
This large survey found a notably high seroprevalence of HSV-1, even among young female adolescents 15-19 years of age (80%). HSV-2 seropositivity was under 12% in all age groups surveyed in Poland, tending to be among the lowest overall HSV-2 seropositivity rates reported thus far in Europe.
Department of Virology, National Institute of Hygiene, Warsaw, Poland.
J S
JS
Smith
M
M
Rosinska
A
A
Trzcinska
J M
JM
Pimenta
B
B
Litwinska
J
J
Siennicka
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies