II. Epidemiology
- HSV Antibody Prevalence in adults (age >40 years)
III. Pathophysiology
- See Human Herpes Virus
- Transmission
- HSV directly inoculates exposed mucocutaneous surfaces (e.g. Oral Mucosa, Cervix, Conjunctiva)
- HSV may also enter via small breaks in the skin surface (e.g. Herpetic Whitlow)
- Types
- HSV1 may cause either Oral Herpes or Genital Herpes (up to 50% of cases in U.S.)
- HSV2 primarily causes Genital Herpes, but may also cause Oral Herpes
IV. Types: Presentations
V. Complications
-
Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus
- Vertical transmission of Genital Herpes
- HSV is a TORCH Virus
- Herpes Keratitis (Corneal infection)
- Herpetic Whitlow (painful vesicular lesions on fingers)
- Herpetic sycosis (beard area vesicular eruption)
- Herpes gladiatorum (vesicular lesions typically on torso with history of wrestling exposure)
- Erythema Multiforme (HSV is the most common cause)
- HSV Encephalitis
- Elsberg Syndrome
- See Myelitis
- Bilateral lumbosacral radiculitis with lower cord Myelitis due to HSV 2 reactivation
- Savoldi (2017) Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroimflamm 4(4): e355 -PMID: 28534040 [PubMed]
- Disseminated HSV
- Occurs in Immunocompromised patients (e.g. Immunosuppression, Chemotherapy, AIDS)
- HSV may infect a wide range of systems (e.g. gastrointestinal, liver, lung)
VI. Labs: Diagnosis
- See HSV Test
VII. Management
- See Oral Herpes
- See Genital Herpes
- See Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus
VIII. References
- Gladwin, Trattler and Mahan (2014) Clinical Microbiology, Medmaster, Fl, p. 281-2
- Colgan (2003) Am Fam Physician 67(4):757-62 [PubMed]
- Usatine (2010) Am Fam Physician 82(9):1075-82 [PubMed]
- Zhu (2021) Virulence 12(1):2670-702 +PMID: 34676800 [PubMed]