Prevalence of HSV-2 antibody in a Melbourne antenatal population attending a tertiary obstetric hospital

Abstract

Objective: To determine the herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) seroprevalence rate in a Melbourne antenatal cohort. Design: Prospective collection of serum and questionnaires in 1371 women attending an outpatient antenatal clinic. Setting: A tertiary obstetric hospital in metropolitan Melbourne. Participants: Women aged 18 years or older attending an antenatal clinic appointment. Main outcome measure: Seroprevalence rate of HSV-2 using an ELISA-based- type-specific serological assay. Results: The overall HSV-2 seroprevalence rate in women was 13.6%. Only 0.4% of assays were equivocal and required confirmation by Western blot analysis. By multivariate analysis, HSV-2 seroprevalence was found to b..