The primary objective of this study was to determine the in vivo absorption properties of valacyclovir, including the potential for saturable proton-coupled oligopeptide transporter 1 (PepT1)-mediated intestinal uptake, after escalating oral doses of prodrug within the clinical dose range. A secondary aim was to characterize the role of PepT1 on the tissue distribution of its active metabolite,...

BACKGROUND Maternal administration of the acyclovir prodrug valacyclovir is compatible with pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, the safety profile of prolonged infant and maternal exposure to acyclovir in the context of antiretrovirals (ARVs) for prevention of mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission (PMTCT) has not been described. METHODS Pregnant Kenyan women co-infected with HIV-1/HSV-2 with C...

OBJECTIVES High index of suspicion is mandatory for early diagnosis of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis (HSE), since acyclovir therapy can prevent its mortality and limit morbidity. We report our observations on clinical spectrum, pitfalls in diagnosis and therapeutic aspects in patients of HSE. METHODS There were 34 patients of HSE (26 males and eight females) in age range 6 -72 (mean 23.8 +/- 8....

BACKGROUND Long-term treatment with antiviral agents has been shown to prevent recurrences of genital and orofacial herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease, but it is uncertain whether prophylactic treatment can prevent recurrences of ocular HSV disease. METHODS We randomly assigned 703 immunocompetent patients who had had ocular HSV disease within the preceding year to receive 400 mg of acyclovir...

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), the principal cause of genital herpes, infects the majority of human immunodeficien-cy virus type 1 (HIV-1)–infected persons worldwide [1]. HIV-1 is shed at high titers in genital ulcers caused by HSV-2 [2], and genital ulcer disease (GUD) increases the risk of HIV-1 transmission [3]. Asymp-tomatic HSV-2 reactivation (ie, viral shedding in the absence of gen...

Case presentation: A 12-year-old child with a history of varicella infection for 7 days. On the seventh day, patient presented prostration, inappetence, gait ataxia, dysdiadochokinesia, bilateral eye movement decomposition, pupils equal, round and reactive to light, no focal deficit absence fever. Clinical support, laboratory tests, CSF analysis, imaging exams were initiated. test hemogram norm...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of steroids, acyclovir, and surgical facial nerve decompression in Bell's palsy. METHODS The authors identified articles by searching MEDLINE and selected those that prospectively compared outcomes in patients treated with steroids, acyclovir, or surgery with patients not receiving these modalities. The authors graded the quality of each study (class I...

No consensus exists on whether acyclovir prophylaxis should be given for varicella-zoster virus (VZV) prophylaxis after hematopoietic cell transplantation because of the concern of "rebound" VZV disease after discontinuation of prophylaxis. To determine whether rebound VZV disease is an important clinical problem and whether prolonging prophylaxis beyond 1 year is beneficial, we examined 3 sequ...

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) resistance to antiviral drugs has been described primarily in immunocompromised patients. We report an apparently immunocompetent, human immunodeficiency virus-negative male patient who has experienced repeated HSV-2 genital outbreaks despite receiving antiviral prophylaxis with several different drugs. Several of the HSV-2 genital isolates from this patient ...

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infects the majority of the global population and leads to the development of a strong virus-specific immune response. The CMV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell immune response can comprise between 10 and 50% of the T cell pool within peripheral blood and there is concern that this may impair immunity to other pathogens. Elderly individuals with the highest magnitude of CMV-sp...