Knowledge of Partners’ Genital Herpes Protects against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Acquisition

BackgroundProspective studies of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in discordant couples have shown a low rate of transmission. However, unlike partners with genital herpes in prospectively monitored couples, most persons who transmit genital herpes are not aware of having the infection...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 2006-07, Vol.194 (1), p.42-52
Main Authors: Wald, Anna, Krantz, Elizabeth, Selke, Stacy, Lairson, Ellen, Morrow, Rhoda Ashley, Zeh, Judy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Condoms
Disclosure - standards
Female
Genital herpes
Genitalia
Herpes Genitalis - prevention & control
Herpes Genitalis - transmission
Herpes simplex virus 2
Herpesvirus 1, Human - pathogenicity
Herpesvirus 2, Human - pathogenicity
HIV
Human herpesvirus 1
Human herpesvirus 2
Humans
Infections
Male
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Risk Factors
Sexual Behavior
Sexual Partners
Sexual transmission
Sexually transmitted diseases
Simplexvirus
Time Factors
Viruses
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Summary:BackgroundProspective studies of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in discordant couples have shown a low rate of transmission. However, unlike partners with genital herpes in prospectively monitored couples, most persons who transmit genital herpes are not aware of having the infection MethodsBecause HSV has a short incubation period and most persons who acquire genital herpes can identify the transmitting partner, a time-to-event design was used to assess risks of HSV acquisition among patients with newly acquired genital herpes ResultsAmong 199 persons with laboratory-documented newly acquired genital herpes, the median duration of the sexual relationship with the transmitting partner was 3.5 months, and the median number of sex acts before transmission was 40. The median time to HSV-2 acquisition was greater among participants whose partners disclosed that they had genital herpes, compared with participants whose partners did not disclose their status (270 vs. 60 days; P=.03). In multivariate models, having a partner who disclosed that he or she had genital herpes remained a strong protective factor against genital HSV-2 acquisition (hazard ratio, 0.48 [95% confidence interval, 0.25–0.91]) ConclusionThese findings suggest that testing persons with HSV type–specific serologic assays and encouraging disclosure may result in a decreased risk of HSV-2 transmission to sex partners
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1086/504717