Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Plaquing of Herpes Simplex Viruses
Published on: November 5, 2021
Herpes simplex virus infection in a university health population: clinical manifestations, epidemiology, and
Robert Horowitz1, Sara Aierstuck, Elizabeth A Williams
1University Health Services, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA. drrobertbob@gmail.com
Objective:
The authors described clinical presentations of oral and genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in a university health population and implications of these findings.
Participants And Methods:
Using a standardized data collection tool, 215 records of patients with symptomatic culture-positive HSV infections were reviewed.
Results:
HSV-1 accounted for 78% of female and 85% of male genital herpes (GH) infections, and oral herpes (OH) infections presented as an acute febrile illness (AFI) in 51% of those 18 to 24 years old. HSV-2 accounted for 68% of GH infections among adults 25 or older.
Conclusions:
As seroprevalence for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 in the United States is decreasing, a growing college age cohort is at risk for primary HSV-1 infection. The proportion of GH caused by HSV-1 also continues to increase. This understanding has implications for clinical care, sexual health programming, and counseling strategies.
Related Concept Videos
Genital Herpes
Herpes
Chickenpox
Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence
Encephalitis l: Introduction
Infection
The chain begins with pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or parasites such as protozoa helminths. These can be present on the skin as transient or resident flora, or they can be acquired from the environment. Identifying and treating the type of infection and...

