Abstract:
Herpes simplex-2 virus (HSV-2) infection in pregnant women can result in undesirable neonatal outcomes. This is a cross-sectional study conducted to determine the prevalence of HSV-II among pregnant women in different Sudanese hospitals in Khartoum State. The study was carried out during the period from February to May 2016.
A total of 92 pregnant women attending some hospitals were enrolled in this study. Sociodemographic data were collected by questionnaire. Three ml of blood was collected from each pregnant woman. The blood was dispensed into an EDTA container. Plasma was obtained by centrifugation and gently transferred to a plane container and stored at –20°C until the serological analysis. The plasma were examined for the presence of Herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Of the enrolled pregnant women 41(44.6%) were with a history of abortion, 51(55.4%) without any history of abortion. The result showed that out of 92 blood specimens investigated, 7 (7.6%) were positive for HSV-2 IgG antibodies. Of the positive blood specimens 2 (4.8%) were obtained from pregnant women with a history of abortion and 5 (9.8%) from pregnant women without history of abortion. Of the positive cases (7), 5 (71.4%), in the third trimester, 1(14.3%) in each of the first and second trimesters.
The study concluded that the seroprevalence of HSV-2 among pregnant women in Khartoum State was low. Further studies with a large number of specimens and more advanced technique are required to validate the results of the present study.
