Herpes Group Viruses: a Seroprevalence Study in Hemodialysis Patients

Herpes group viruses (herpes simplex virus, HSV; varicella-zoster virus, VZV; cytomegalovirus, CMV; and Epstein-Barr virus, EBV) remain an important cause of morbidity in immunocompromised persons. The aim of the study was to analyze the prevalence of HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, CMV and EBV in patients undergoing hemodialysis. During a three-year period (2013-2015), 152 consecutive serum samples from hemodialysis patients and 150 healthy subjects (control group) were tested for the presence of IgM/IgG antibodies to herpes group viruses. Serologic tests were performed using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or enzyme-linked immunofluorescent assay (ELFA). Hemodialysis patients showed significantly higher CMV IgG seropositivity compared to controls (88.2% vs. 78.7%, p=0.011). In addition, seroprevalence rates of HSV-1 and VZV were higher in hemodialysis patients; however, these differences did not reach statistical significance (85.5% vs. 80.0%, p=0.054 and 99.3% vs. 96.0%, p=0.051, respectively). The prevalence of HSV-2 and EBV was similar in both groups (12.5% vs. 12.7%, p=0.137 and 98.0% vs. 95.3%, p=0.113, respectively). There was no difference in IgG seropositivity according to gender and place of residence. Logistic regression showed that older age was a significant predictor for CMV and EBV IgG seropositivity (increase in age by one year: CMV OR=1.055; 95%CI=1.030-1.080 and EBV OR=1.075, 95%CI=1.023-1.130).