title: No association between antepartum serologic and genital tract evidence of herpes simplex virus-2 coinfection and perinatal HIV-1 transmission.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of perinatal HIV-1 transmission in women who are coinfected with herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2).
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a nested case-control study of 26 women whose HIV-1 was transmitted to their infants and 52 control subjects whose HIV-1 was not transmitted. We assessed antepartum serologic evidence of HSV-2 by HSV-2 serostatus and genital tract evidence of HSV-2 by presence of HSV-2 DNA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant association between antepartum serologic evidence of HSV-2 coinfection and the risk of perinatal HIV-1 transmission. There was also no association between antepartum genital tract evidence of HSV-2 coinfection and risk of perinatal HIV-1 transmission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women who were infected with HIV-1 with antepartum serologic and genital tract evidence of HSV-2 coinfection did not appear to have an increased risk of perinatal HIV-1 transmission. However, further investigations are needed to assess HSV-2 reactivation and the risk of perinatal HIV-1 transmission at the time of delivery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. ktc10@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Katherine T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ruth E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Tuomala
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Meei-Li
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: D Heather
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: Carmen D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Zorrilla
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hershow
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Larussa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D015497:HIV-1; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D018743:Perinatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012307:Risk Factors