Perinate Herpes Simplex Viral Infection.
Perinate herpes simplex viral infections may cause serious
disease incidence and mortality. A number of the infections
result from abscure cervical shedding of virus after a primary
episode of genital HSV in the third trimester. Immune bodies to
HSV-2 were found in approximately 20% of pregnant women, but
only 5% report a history of symptomatic infection.
Primary cases of HSV and secondary cases near term or at the
time of childbirth should be treated with antiviral therapy.
Сesarean section should be performed if active HSV
infection is present at the time of delivery.
Both symptomatic and asymptomatic primary genital HSV infections
are associated with premature delivery and low birth weight
children. Diagnosticating of perinate HSV may be difficult, but
it should be suspected in any newborn with irritability,
lethargy, fever or poor feeding at one week of age. Primary
diagnosis is made by culturing the blood, cerebro-spinial fluid,
urine and fluid from eyes, nose and mucous tunic. Actually all
newborn infants suspected to have or who are diagnosed with HSV
infection should be put under treatment with parenteral
acyclovir.
Perinate herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are transmitted
from an infected mother, usually vertically, during childbirth.
Introduction of infection is approximately 1 per 3,000 to 20,000
live births. A mother who detects a primary episode of genital
HSV during the third trimester and who has not completed
seroconversion by the onset of labor has a 33% chance of
transmitting the infection to the child. A mother detecting a
secondary reactivation of HSV during the intrapartum period has
approximately a 3% chance of transmitting the infection to her
cheild. From amongst infected infants, only 30% have mothers who
had symptomatic HSV or a sexual partner with clinical infection.
Most perinate infections happen because of asymptomatic cervical
shedding of virus, usually after a primary episode of HSV
infection.
Frequency of occurences worldwide of herpes simplex virus type 2
(HSV-2) seropositivity is anxiously high (about 25%
seropositivity in USA). Immune bodies to HSV-2 were found in
approximately 20% of ladies-in-waiting; however, only 5 have
shown a history of symptomatic infection.
It's worth mentioning that primary genital HSV infections during
gestation can be detected at rates similar to those in
nonpregnant women, and often these infections may be described
as asymptomatic. There is a 2 to 3 percent seroconversion rate
in pregnant women. Infection contamination occurs from an
HSV-2-positive partner and is often traced to asymptomatic
shedding of virus. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic primary
genital HSV infections are associated with premature delivery
and misborn infants. Due to wide spread of HSV among adults,
physicians should take into consideration the risk of a primary
HSV infection in a ladies-in-waiting and its potential
consequences to the foetus.