Epidemiology of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infections: A Single-Center Retrospective Study in Korea

Abstract

Background: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is a common viral disease of the skin worldwide. HSV type 1 (HSV-1) has been associated with orofacial infections, while HSV type 2 (HSV-2) accounts for the main cause of genital herpes. However, a number of recent clinical studies have revealed that the epidemiology of HSV-1 and HSV-2 is changing. Objective: We performed the study to find out if there is any correlation between HSV subtypes and other multiple variables. Methods: We examined the results of HSV-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests performed in our hospital from July 2017 through June 2020. We analyzed the HSV subtypes of samples from 304 patients that showed positive HSV-PCR. Comparative analysis was performed to identify the correlation between HSV subtypes and other multiple variables. Results: HSV-1 was typed in 53.9% (164/304) and HSV-2 in 46.1% (140/304) of the patients during the study period. HSV-1 showed predilection for body area above the waist, whereas HSV-2 was dominant below the waist. There was a statistically significant correlation between the HSV subtypes and site of infection (p＜0.001). Female patients were more likely to acquire HSV-2 infection than male patients (p=0.027). The ratio of HSV-2 infection tended to get bigger as the age of patients increased (p＜0.001). There was not a significant difference in HSV subtypes among the groups defined according to immune status (p=0.333). Conclusion: Our study provided abundant data concerning various aspects of epidemiology of HSV infection. They can be used to plan and evaluate strategies for management of patients.