Herpes Simplex Virus and Pregnancy

摘要

Genital tract infection due to herpes simplex virus (HSV) is common and can potentially threaten the health of a mother and her fetus during pregnancy. Diagnosing and treating HSV infection during pregnancy can improve maternal health and decrease the risk of HSV transmission to the neonate. In the United States, the seroprevalence of HSV-2 in women is approximately 20%. HSV-1 seroprevalence in pregnant women is approximately 63% and likely accounts for a significant proportion of genital herpes.2 In adults, HSV presents clinically as vesicular or ulcerative lesions involving the skin and mucous membranes. Central nervous system or disseminated disease is very rare and generally occurs only in the setting of another underlying disease. However, primary infection during pregnancy can result, rarely, in disseminated disease. Neonates, on the contrary, are at risk for systemic and often-lethal HSV disease. This elevated risk is associated with an immature immune system, making preterm infants particularly susceptible.