Abstract
In a German seroepidemiological study to determine the proportion of pregnant women infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and at risk of transmitting the infection to the newborn during delivery, IgG antibodies to HSV-2 in 1999 sera collected from pregnant women in 1996–1997 were measured using an automated type-specific enzyme immunoassay (Cobas Core HSV-2 IgG EIA; Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland). The seroprevalence of HSV-2 was 8.9%, and control studies with a type-common HSV assay measuring antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 revealed that 20.7% of pregnant women were seronegative for HSV antibodies and are therefore at risk of acquiring primary genital HSV infection of either type.
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Enders, G., Risse, B., Zauke, M. et al. Seroprevalence Study of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 among Pregnant Women in Germany Using a Type-Specific Enzyme Immunoassay. EJCMID 17, 870–872 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100960050210
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100960050210