Screening pregnant women for genital herpes

In a prospective study to identify the viral type isolated from women undergoing screening for herpes simplex virus (HSV) during pregnancy using fluoroscine-labelled monoclonal antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2, HSV-2 was more likely to be isolated during the third trimester and was the only viral type isolated at term. As the severity of neonatal central nervous system disease is greater with HSV-2 than HSV-1 we recommended that all women with a history of genital herpes should be screened during pregnancy.