[Seroepidemiology of alphaherpesviruses]

The seroepidemiology of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type-1 and -2 was studied in different Japanese populations, by applying HSV gG1 and gG2 type-specific antibody assays. HSV-1 infections correlated mostly with age and was widely prevalent among subjects over 40 years old. HSV-2 prevalence varied greatly among subgroups defined by sexual activity and were associated with risk behaviors, from 80% among prostitutes to 7% among pregnant women. Since HSV-1 infection during childhood has been decreasing, primary genital HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection, with its higher frequency of clinical manifestations, will become more important. In contrast, antibody prevalence to varicella-zoster virus has been constantly high in children, with no tendency to change in seroepidemiology of VZV infections so far.