Subtipos de vírus herpes simples (VHS) em uma população urbana da Amazônia

Abstract

Herpes simplex vírus subtypes in an urban Amazonían populatíon ln view of the different biological behavior of the typesof herpes simplex vírus (HSV-1 and HSV-2), it is impor-tant to identify the infecting vírus strain, in arder to make a prognosis concerning the evolution of the disease. The newly developed methods of virai typing with especific monoclonal antibodies represent a significant advance in identifying these virai agents, allowing us to better understanding epidemiological aspeéts of the disease. This paper presents the results obtained from typing of vírus strains isolated from 35 patients in 1989, attending the Evandro Chagas lnstitute in Selem, Brazil, a city located in the eastern Amazon. Approximately 43% of the patients were 20-29 years old, with predominance of females. Of the cases studied 57% showed primary infections and 43% recurrent infections. Detection of the HSV-1 was recorded in 60% of primary and in 20% of recurring episodes, whereas 80% of the cases of recurring herpes and 40% of the primary cases were associated with the HSV-2 type. The results obtained suggests that the epidemiology of HSV infection in Belem is similar that reported from other studies involving urban populations.