title: Changes in seroprevalence to four herpesviruses over 30 years in Swedish children aged 9-12 years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Changing social conditions and life-styles in Sweden may have affected the spread of varicella-zoster virus (VZV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study possible changes over 30 years in prevalence of antibodies against VZV, HSV, CMV, and EBV in Swedish children, using modern serological methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples from 819 Swedish children who were 9-12 years old in 1967-1968, in 1977-1978 (two cohorts), and in 1997, respectively, were examined. IgG antibodies against VZV, HSV, and CMV were measured by well validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and against EBV by indirect immunoflourescense.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The seropositivity for VZV for 9-12 years old children was 50% in 1967-1968, 74-82% in 1977-1978, and 98% in 1997. The corresponding figures were 31%, 53%, 50%, and 58% for CMV, 35%, 35%, 32%, and 38% for HSV, and 64% in 1967-1968 and in 1977-1978 (both cohorts), and 62% in 1997 for EBV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The seroprevalence for VZV increased significantly from 1967-1968 to 1997, and there was also a significant but smaller increase in the CMV seroprevalence, while seroprevalence to HSV and EBV remained relatively stable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Solna, Sweden. anita.svahn@swipnet.se
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Svahn
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berggren
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parke
authors.forename: Jann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Storsaeter
authors.forename: Rigmor
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thorstensson
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Linde
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G