Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Sexual Health Sexual Health Society
Publishing on sexual health from the widest perspective
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > SH > SH09098 > Fulltext
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 7(4)

Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 among the Indigenous population of Cape York, Far North Queensland, Australia

Anthony G. Brazzale A D , Darren B. Russell A B , Anthony L. Cunningham C , Janette Taylor C and William J. H. McBride A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Cairns Campus, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

B Sexual Health Clinic, Cairns Base Hospital, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

C Centre for Virus Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: anthony.brazzale@gmail.com

Sexual Health 7(4) 453-459 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH09098
Submitted: 6 September 2009  Accepted: 24 March 2010   Published: 10 November 2010

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study was to obtain representative seroprevalence data for the Indigenous population of Far North Queensland by measuring the age- and sex-specific seroprevalence of the herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2) in Cape York. Methods: A cross-sectional seroprevalence study was conducted using de-identified serum samples collected from Indigenous patients living in Cape York, aged 16 years or older, who sought medical care between August 2007 and May 2008. An age- and sex-stratified random sample of 270 sera was tested for the presence of antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Indeterminate results were resolved with western blot. Results: The overall seroprevalence for the Indigenous population of Cape York was 97.8% for HSV-1 and 58.5% for HSV-2. There was a statistically significant difference in HSV-2 seroprevalence according to sex (P < 0.001). Females were more likely to be HSV-2 seropositive compared with males (72.1% and 43.8%, respectively). Conclusions: This is the first study to report on the seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 among the Indigenous population of Cape York. This study has identified a population with an extremely high prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection. The seroprevalence of HSV-2 in this population was found to be five times higher than that reported for the general adult Australian population. These results will be invaluable to the implementation of appropriate prevention and control strategies against HSV infection and are especially important considering the strong association between HSV-2 and the acquisition and transmission of HIV.

Additional keywords: Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander.


Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the Apunipima Cape York Health Council for their advice and support of this study. We sincerely thank Alexandra Raulli and Megge Miller from the Cairns Tropical Population Health Services for their statistical advice and assistance. We also wish to acknowledge the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia for their RCPA Medical School Scholarship that assisted in completing this study.


References


[1] Corey L , Wald A . Genital herpes. In Holmes KK, Sparling PF, Mardh P, Lemon SM, Stamm WE, Pior, Wasserheit JN, editors. Sexually transmitted diseases (3rd edn). New York: McGraw Hill; 1999. pp. 285–312.

[2] Smith JS,  Robinson NJ. Age-specific prevalence of infection with herpes simplex virus types 2 and 1: a global review. J Infect Dis 2002; 186 S3–28.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | [verified 5 July 2008].

[21] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Person characteristics. Canberra: 2006 Census QuickStats: Australia; 2007. Available online at: http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ProductSelect?newproducttype=QuickStats&btnSelectProduct=View+QuickStats+%3E&collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=0&geography=&method=&productlabel=&producttype=&topic=&navmapdisplayed=true&javascript=true&breadcrumb=LP&topholder=0&leftholder=0&currentaction=201&action=401&textversion=false [verified 10 July 2008].

[22] Mayers NR,  Couzos S. Towards health equity through an adult health check for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: an important Australian initiative that sets an international precedent. Med J Aust 2004; 181 531–2.
| PubMed |

[23] Ashley-Morrow R,  Nollkamper J,  Robinson NJ,  Bishop N,  Smith J. Performance of focus ELISA tests for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 antibodies among women in ten diverse geographical locations. Clin Microbiol Infect 2004; 10 530–6.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[24] STATA [computer program], version 10. College Station, Texas: Stata; 2007.

[25] Haddow LJ,  Sullivan EA,  Taylor J,  Abel M,  Cunningham AL,  Tabrizi S, et al. Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in women attending an antenatal clinic in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Sex Transm Dis 2007; 34 258–61.
| PubMed |

[26] Stanberry LR. The epidemiology of herpes simplex virus infections in adolescents. Herpes 1999; 6 12–5.


[27] Hashido M,  Lee FK,  Nahmias AJ,  Kawana T. Prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1- and 2- specific antibodies among the acute, recurrent, and provoked types of female genital herpes. Microbiol Immunol 1997; 41 823–7.
|  CAS | PubMed |

[28] Vyse AJ,  Gay NJ,  Slomka MJ,  Gopal R,  Gibbs T,  Morgan-Capner P, et al. The burden of infection with HSV-1 and HSV-2 in England and Wales: implications for the changing epidemiology of genital herpes. Sex Transm Infect 2000; 76 183–7.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[29] Fleming DT,  McQuillan GM,  Johnson RE,  Nahmias AJ,  Aral SO,  Lee FK, et al. Herpes simplex virus type 2 in the United States, 1976 to 1994. N Engl J Med 1997; 337 1105–11.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[30] Tunback P,  Bergstrom T,  Andersson AS,  Nordin P,  Krantz I,  Lowhagen GB. Prevalence of herpes simplex virus antibodies in childhood and adolescence: a cross-sectional study. Scand J Infect Dis 2003; 35 498–502.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

[31] Ades AE,  Peckham CS,  Dale GE,  Best JM,  Jeansson S. Prevalence of antibodies to herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in pregnant women, and estimated rates of infection. J Epidemiol Community Health 1989; 43 53–60.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[32] Nahmias AJ,  Lee FK,  Beckman-Nahmias S. Sero-epidemiological and -sociological patterns of herpes simplex virus infection in the world. Scand J Infect Dis Suppl 1990; 69 19–36.
|  CAS | PubMed |

[33] Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision. Overcoming Indigenous disadvantage: key indicators 2007. Productivity Commission, Canberra; 2007.

[34] Suligoi B,  Danaya RT,  Sarmati L,  Owen IL,  Boros S,  Pozio E, et al. Infection with human immunodeficiency virus, herpes simplex virus type 2, and human herpes virus 8 in remote villages of southwestern Papua New Guinea. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2005; 72 33–6.
|  CAS | PubMed |

[35] Weiss H. Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in the developing world. Herpes 2004; 11(Suppl. 1): 24A–35A.
| PubMed |

[36] Mbopi-Keou FX,  Gresenguet G,  Mayaud P,  Weiss HA,  Gopal R,  Matta M, et al. Interactions between herpes simplex virus type 2 and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in African women: opportunities for intervention. J Infect Dis 2000; 182 1090–6.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[37] Obasi A,  Mosha F,  Quigley M,  Sekirassa Z,  Gibbs T,  Munguti K, et al. Antibody to herpes simplex virus type 2 as a marker of sexual risk behavior in rural Tanzania. J Infect Dis 1999; 179 16–24.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[38] Langeland N,  Haarr L,  Mhalu F. Prevalence of HSV-2 antibodies among STD clinic patients in Tanzania. Int J STD AIDS 1998; 9 104–7.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[39] Msuya SE,  Mbizvo E,  Hussain A,  Sam NE,  Jeansson S,  Stray-Pedersen B. Seroprevalence and correlates of herpes simplex virus type 2 among urban Tanzanian women. Sex Transm Dis 2003; 30 588–92.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

[40] Walraven G,  Scherf C,  West B,  Ekpo G,  Paine K,  Coleman R, et al. The burden of reproductive-organ disease in rural women in The Gambia, West Africa. Lancet 2001; 357 1161–7.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[41] Wagner HU,  Van Dyck E,  Roggen E,  Nunn AJ,  Kamali A,  Schmid DS, et al. Seroprevalence and incidence of sexually transmitted diseases in a rural Ugandan population. Int J STD AIDS 1994; 5 332–7.
|  CAS | PubMed |

[42] Kamali A,  Nunn AJ,  Mulder DW,  Van Dyck E,  Dobbins JG,  Whitworth JA. Seroprevalence and incidence of genital ulcer infections in a rural Ugandan population. Sex Transm Infect 1999; 75 98–102.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[43] Nzila N,  Laga M,  Thiam MA,  Mayimona K,  Edidi B,  Van Dyck E, et al. HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases among female prostitutes in Kinshasa. AIDS 1991; 5 715–22.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[44] Wald A,  Langenberg AG,  Link K,  Izu AE,  Ashley R,  Warren T, et al. Effect of condoms on reducing the transmission of herpes simplex virus type 2 from men to women. JAMA 2001; 285 3100–6.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[45] Bowden FJ,  O’Keefe EJ,  Primrose R,  Currie MJ. Sexually transmitted infections, blood-borne viruses and risk behaviour in an Australian senior high school population – the SHLiRP study. Sex Health 2005; 2 229–36.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

[46] Dickson N,  van Roode T,  Herbison P,  Taylor J,  Cunningham A,  Paul C. Risk of herpes simplex virus type 2 acquisition increases over early adulthood: evidence from a cohort study. Sex Transm Infect 2006; 83 87–90.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

[47] Cowan FM,  Johnson AM,  Ashley R,  Corey L,  Mindel A. Antibody to herpes simplex virus type 2 as serological marker of sexual lifestyle in populations. BMJ 1994; 309 1325–9.
|  CAS | PubMed |

[48] Isacsohn M,  Smetana Z,  Rones ZZ,  Raveh D,  Diamant Y,  Samueloff A, et al. A sero-epidemiological study of herpes virus type 1 and 2 infection in Israel. J Clin Virol 2002; 24 85–92.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

[49] Schmid DS,  Brown DR,  Nisenbaum R,  Burke RL,  Alexander D,  Ashley R, et al. Limits in reliability of glycoprotein G-based type-specific serologic assays for herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2. J Clin Microbiol 1999; 37 376–9.
|  CAS | PubMed |

[50] Watson-Jones D,  Weiss HA,  Rusizoka M,  Changalucha J,  Baisley K,  Mugeye K, et al. Effect of herpes simplex suppression on incidence of HIV among women in Tanzania. N Engl J Med 2008; 358 1560–71.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[51] Celum C,  Wald A,  Hughes J,  Sanchez J,  Reid S,  Delany-Moretlwe S, et al. Effect of aciclovir on HIV-1 acquisition in herpes simplex virus 2 seropositive women and men who have sex with men: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2008; 371 2109–19.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[52] Freeman EE,  White RG,  Bakker R,  Orroth KK,  Weiss HA,  Buve A, et al. Population-level effect of potential HSV-2 prophylactic vaccines on HIV incidence in sub-Saharan Africa. Vaccine 2009; 27 940–6.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |