Using community pharmacies to conduct an HSV-1 prevalence study

To describe the effectiveness of community-based pharmacists in conducting a study to measure the baseline prevalence of Herpes simplex virus, type-1 susceptibility to two antiviral medications in subjects with recurrent Herpes labialis.

A cross-sectional study conducted in 47 US community pharmacies. The pharmacist obtained a viral sample from the surface of the lesion, placed the virus-laden swab in a vial of holding medium, and stored it in a refrigerator until shipment to a central laboratory.

The population that had swabs processed for viral isolation (1795) was predominantly white (90.1%) and female (67.9%) with a mean age of 37.5 years. A total of 1087 (60.3%) swabs were positive for HSV-1. On-site monitoring revealed 219 protocol deviations related to the stage of the lesion (124), not properly dating or signing the consent form (80), and indeterminate age (15).

This study demonstrates the ability of pharmacists to conduct a large surveillance study in busy community pharmacies. A population of RHL sufferers with active lesions was recruited to study pharmacies during a 5-month period. Pharmacists successfully obtained viral samples from cold sore lesions at a rate comparable to physician-conducted studies. Protocol deviations were generally not serious, and did not compromise the study results or endanger the rights or welfare of participants.