Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
HealthPlus Fertility and Genetics Center, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Front Public Health. 2022 Nov 7;10:991040. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.991040. eCollection 2022.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a common genitally-transmitted viral infection affecting more than 400 million individuals globally. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in specific at-risk population groups, the burden of HSV-2 has not been reported. This study investigated the prevalence of HSV-2 IgG antibodies in patients seeking fertility treatment and characterized patients with seropositivity to HSV-2 IgG antibodies.
A cross-sectional sample of patients seeking fertility treatment in a major fertility clinic in Abu Dhabi, UAE was surveyed from April to May 2021. Patients were consecutively invited to complete self-administered questionnaires and provide blood for HSV-2 testing. Information on sociodemographics, medical history, and infertility was collected. Serum specimens were screened using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for HSV-2 IgG antibodies detection.
Two hundred and ninety-nine patients were surveyed and provided blood samples. The mean age of the patients was 35.9 ± 6.8 [mean ± standard deviation (SD)] years with 89.3% being women. Sixty-six percent were overweight or obese, 25.0% had at least one chronic comorbidity, and 19.6% reported ever-had genital infection. More than two-thirds (68.3%) of the patients were infertile for ≥ 6 months. Of the 42 infertile males, 69.0% had an abnormal semen analysis. HSV-2 IgG antibodies was detected in 12.4% of patients. The HSV-2 IgG seropositive patients had a higher mean age (39.5 vs. 35.4 years; p < 0.001) compared to seronegative patients. HSV-2 IgG antibodies seropositivity was more common in males (15.6%) than females (12.0%), in patients with secondary (14.1%) vs. primary (9.2%) infertility, or in males with abnormal (10.3%) vs. normal (7.7%) semen.
Exposure to HSV-2 at any time in patients seeking fertility treatment in the UAE was found to be slightly common in more than one out of 10 patients. Tailored health campaigns on HSV-2 prevention are warranted.
单纯疱疹病毒 2 型（HSV-2）是一种常见的生殖器传播病毒感染，影响着全球超过 4 亿人。在阿拉伯联合酋长国（UAE），特别是在高危人群中，尚未报告 HSV-2 的负担情况。本研究调查了在阿联酋阿布扎比一家主要生育诊所寻求生育治疗的患者中 HSV-2 IgG 抗体的流行情况，并对 HSV-2 IgG 抗体血清阳性患者的特征进行了描述。
2021 年 4 月至 5 月，对阿联酋阿布扎比一家主要生育诊所寻求生育治疗的患者进行了横断面样本调查。连续邀请患者填写自我管理问卷并提供血液进行 HSV-2 检测。收集了社会人口统计学、病史和不孕信息。使用酶联免疫吸附试验检测 HSV-2 IgG 抗体对血清标本进行筛查。
共调查了 299 名患者并提供了血液样本。患者的平均年龄为 35.9 ± 6.8 [均值 ± 标准差（SD）] 岁，其中 89.3%为女性。66%超重或肥胖，25.0%至少有一种慢性合并症，19.6%报告曾有生殖器感染。超过三分之二（68.3%）的患者不孕≥6 个月。在 42 名不育男性中，69.0%的精液分析异常。在 12.4%的患者中检测到 HSV-2 IgG 抗体。与血清阴性患者相比，HSV-2 IgG 血清阳性患者的平均年龄更高（39.5 岁比 35.4 岁；p<0.001）。HSV-2 IgG 抗体血清阳性在男性（15.6%）中比女性（12.0%）更常见，在继发性（14.1%）不孕患者中比原发性（9.2%）不孕患者更常见，在精液异常（10.3%）的男性中比精液正常（7.7%）的男性更常见。
在阿联酋寻求生育治疗的患者中，任何时候接触 HSV-2 的患者中，超过十分之一的患者均发现 HSV-2 暴露情况略为常见。有必要开展针对 HSV-2 预防的针对性健康宣传活动。
