seroepidemiology of infection with herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (hsv1 and hsv2) among asymptomatic university students attending islamic azad university of kazeroun, southwest of iran

background herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 (hsv-1 and hsv-2) are common infectious agents worldwide. data on prevalence of hsv-1 and hsv-2 infections are limited in asia, especially in iran. our study aimed on determination of seroepidemiology of hsv-1 and hsv-2 infections in asymptomatic healthy students of islamic azad university of kazeroun, fars province, southwest of iran. patients and methods the study population included 360 students with a mean age of 22.2 years. demographic data were gathered by a well-designed questionnaire. for serological studies, 5 ml of blood sample was collected and centrifuged. enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) was used to determine immunoglobulin g (igg) antibody titer to the hsv-1 and hsv-2. results totally, hsv-1 and hsv-2 igg antibody were positive in 285 (79.2%) and 84 (23.3%) subjects, respectively. the seroprevalence of hsv-2 was higher among females (29.0%) compared with males (17.5%) (p<0.05), however, there was no significant correlation between gender and hsv-1 seroprevalence. conclusion results confirm a high prevalence of hsv infection. our findings were in agreement with prior studies in which hsv-2 infection was more prevalent among female subjects. the high prevalence of hsv infection underlines the need for focusing on preventive efforts and education among the population.