Herpes Testing Blog

The herpes simplex virus (HSV) can infect the eye and sometimes causes so much damage that the person’s cornea must be replaced with a transplant. (The cornea is the clear covering of the front of the eye that helps focus light for vision.) Doctors knew transplants were more likely to fail in people with HSV than in patients with other disorders, such as keratoconus, an abnormal steepening of the cornea.

This higher failure rate occurred even when HSV infection did not appear to be active in patients. Researchers at the Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, theorized that such patients might have corneal inflammation that could not be detected upon clinical examination but might increase the risk of transplant rejection.

Unlike organ transplants, in corneal procedures the new tissue is placed on a bed of existing tissue. Though HSV had been inactive for six months before surgery in 81 percent of patients, microscopic evidence of inflammation was found in 74 percent, and the transplant failure rate did indeed correlate with the presence of this biomarker.

“It is also possible that treating inflammation intensively before corneal transplant surgery would reduce the risk of rejection,” said Dr. Roni M. Shtein, MD, MS, cornea specialist and lead author of the report.

For the full article, please refer to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701082702.htm

Scientists have discovered a new way for our immune system to combat the elusive virus responsible for cold sores: Type 1 herpes simplex (HSV-1). A group of virus hunters from the Université de Montréal have identified a cellular process that seeks out and fights herpes.

“Once human cells are infected with Type 1 herpes simplex, the virus comes back because it hides and blocks protection from our immune system,” says Luc English, the study’s lead author. “For the first time, our research team has identified a combative cellular mechanism in this game of hide-and-seek.”

The team made its discovery while conducting various tests in HSV-1 infected mice cells.

The research team plans to study how activation of the herpes-combating cellular process could be applied to other illnesses. “Our goal is to further study the molecules implicated in this mechanism to eventually develop therapies against diseases such as HIV or even cancer,” says English. Treatment options might be imaginable in a decade.

“Now that we’ve identified the novel mechanism in cells that activate immune response to Type 1 herpes simplex, scientists are one step closer to creating new treatments that can activate the defense against this and other viruses,” says Dr. Desjardins. “While it may not be possible to completely eradicate Type 1 herpes simplex in people who are already infected, at the very least, future therapies may be able to keep the virus in its dormant state.”

For the complete article, see http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090323112058.htm

Doctors at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine have tested a gel that when applied topically in the vagina, may help prevent infection by both H.I.V. and herpes simplex virus.

The effectiveness of the gel, called PRO 2000 and made by Indevus Pharmaceuticals, was shown in a pilot study of 20 H.I.V.-infected women.

The study found that the gel significantly reduced virus levels while causing no inflammatory response, and a new study is under way to determine whether the gel causes any other side effects

A much larger study of  the gel has been financed and is to include more than 3,000 women.

Researchers have long sought such a treatment, and they want to be sure that “whatever drug makes it to the market will be safe.”

For the complete article, see http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9F00E3D71E3DF93BA35750C0A9639C8B63&scp=2&sq=herpes%20gel&st=cse.