HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE-2 SEROPREVALENCE AMONG ADULTS AGED 20-49 IN TRABZON

Objective: Infections caused by Herpes simplex virus continue to be a problem in a significant part of the world. In this study we aimed to analyze the seroprevalence of Herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) and to investigate the correlation with sociodemographic characteristics in 20-49 age group in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Material and Method: This cross-sectional study was performed between August 2007 and August 2008 in Trabzon in an adult population between the ages of 20 and 49. The study was performed with 1983 adult subjects with an age range of 20-49 (participation rate 96.7%). HSV-2 IgG Enzyme Immunoassay (ELISA) kits were used. Results: The mean age of participants was 33.3+8.7 with a 1010 (50.9%) female and 973 (49.1%) male distribution. HSV-2 seroprevalence among the subjects was 7.6% (95% CI: 6.4-8.8). HSV-2 seropositivity levels by sex (7.9% in females, 7.2% in males) were similar (p=0.541). HSV-2 seroprevalence was lower in the 20-24 age group (3.6%) than in the other age groups (p=0.016), higher in widowed (18.2%) than in married (8.3%) and single (5.1%) subjects (p=0.010) and declined as educational level increased (p=0.039). The difference between HSV-2 seroprevalence levels between smokers (9.1%) and non-smokers (6.7%) was significant (p=0.049). Conclusion: HSV-2 seroprevalence levels in Trabzon may be regarded as high for the Turkish population in general.