Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type-2 among patients attending the Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinic in Jos, Nigeria.
BACKGROUND
Infection with Herpes Simplex Virus Type-2 (HSV-2) is the primary cause of genital herpes and the most common cause of genital ulcer disease (GUD) worldwide.  There is little information on the prevalence of HSV-2 in Nigeria.


METHODS
Specimens were collected from 162 volunteers attending Jos University Teaching Hospital and tested for HSV-2 antibodies using HSV-2 Type specific IgG EIA test kit (Globalemed LLC Alexandria VA, USA). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 13.0. P values ≤ 0.05 were considered significant number.


RESULTS
Out of the 162 individuals tested, 141 (87.0%) were HSV-2 positive. Infected individuals were more likely to be male than female (92.8% versus 86.4%; P > 0.05). There were high rates of infection in all age groups, and the prevalence increased with age. However, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HSV-2 prevalence was not significantly associated with increasing age, sex, marital status, occupation, educational status, and number of sex partners (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The results highlight the potential public health impact of HSV-2 in Nigeria where anti-HSV-2 testing is not generally performed in all populations, especially considering the risk of neonatal transmission and the attendant complications at birth.
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria. agabiy@unijos.edu.ng
Yusuf A
YA
Agabi
Edmund B
EB
Banwat
John D
JD
Mawak
Patricia M
PM
Lar
Nanma
N
Dashe
Michael M
MM
Dashen
Moses P
MP
Adoga
Felicia Y
FY
Agabi
Hashimu
H
Zakari
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D055815:Young Adult
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G