title: Herpes simplex virus infection in the Croatian population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are caused by 2 types of virus, HSV-1 and HSV-2. Both viruses are endemic worldwide. There are marked variations in the seroprevalences of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in Europe. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HSV infections in Croatia.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a 3-y period (2008-2010), a total of 1672 patients were tested for the presence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall immunoglobulin G (IgG) seroprevalence rates were 72.5% for HSV-1 and 9.9% for HSV-2. There was no significant difference in seropositivity between males and females for HSV-1 (72.0% vs 73.0%) or HSV-2 (8.9% vs 10.7%). HSV-1 seroprevalence increased from 26.4% in those aged 6 months-9 y to 89.9% in those aged 40?49 y, and remained stable thereafter, ranging from 87.4% to 91.5% (p < 0.001). HSV-2 IgG seropositivity increased progressively from 5.7% in participants aged 20-29 y to 26.5% in participants aged ≥ 60 y (p < 0.001). HSV-1 seroprevalence did not differ between participants residing in urban and rural areas (72.5% vs 72.6%). Urban place of residence was a significant factor for HSV-2 seroprevalence in univariate analysis, but after standardization for age, it was no longer significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple logistic regression showed that age was a significant predictor of both HSV-1 and HSV-2 seropositivity, while female gender was a significant predictor of HSV-2 seropositivity. In pregnant women, obstetric history was not a significant predictor of either HSV-1 or HSV-2 seroprevalence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Croatian National Institute of Public Health and School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. tatjana.vilibic-cavlek@hzjz.hr
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vilibic-Cavlek
authors.forename: Branko
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kolaric
authors.forename: Suncanica
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ljubin-Sternak
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mlinaric-Galinovic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G