[Prolonged treatment with acyclovir in recurrent genital herpes. Clinical, virological, and immunological response]

The effect of a prolonged course of oral acyclovir was evaluated in 55 pts with recurrent genital herpes (36 men and 19 women). The pts were voluntarily enrolled after an acute episode, with tissue culture viral isolation. All the pts received an initial course with 200 mg of acyclovir x 5 for 10 days. Then they were randomly assigned to two groups (double-blind), one received 400 mg t.d. for 6 months and the other placebo. Clinical, virological and immunological follow-up included: tissue culture viral isolation, HSV antibody detection, serum Igs levels, T and B cell count, T-cell subsets (OKT3, OKT4, OKT8), C3 and phagocytosis test. The drug was well tolerated with hardly any side effects. Recurrences diminished dramatically in acyclovir treated pts, in contrast with those receiving placebo who did not show modification in viral recurrences. The immunological study was normal in most pts and did not change significantly during the trial.