Detection of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in biological material by PCR qualitative method (HSV I, II)

It is established that about 90 percent of the world's population is infected with the herpes virus, but only a small fraction of them manifest themselves clinically. Once in the human body, no matter what way, the virus accumulates in the nerve nodes, which are located along the spine and there can be inactive throughout the life of a person, unless certain factors do not provoke it and cause its activation (for example, a marked decrease in immunity) with the subsequent generalization of the infectious process.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a DNA-containing virus. There are 2 serotypes of the virus which are herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HPV-2).
HSV-1 most often causes lesions of the oral mucosa, eyes and skin and much less often can lead to lesions of the genitalia, as well as herpetic encephalitis and pneumonitis. HSV-2 mainly causes genital lesions, neonatal herpes, and disseminated herpes.

Primary infection caused by HSV is particularly dangerous during pregnancy due to the high risk of spontaneous miscarriage, development of severe fetal and neonatal lesions, and formation of congenital deformities.

HSV DNA is the main direct marker of the presence of herpes simplex virus in various biological media of the body. The indication for the determination of HSV DNA is the presence of specific clinical manifestations, signs of intrauterine infection in newborns, aggravated obstetric and gynecological history, examination of persons with immunodeficiency states. The analysis allows differentiating between HSV-1 and HSV-2.

During pregnancy, if the mother has herpes, there is a chance of transplacental infection of the fetus, mainly the newborn is infected when passing through the birth canal of the mother. With intrauterine infection of the fetus with the herpes virus, severe malformations develop especially in the nervous system, many of them are incompatible with life. 

It is important to remember that in both men and women, herpes infection can cause infertility.
Determination of herpes virus type I, II by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is characterized by high sensitivity and specificity (98%). The principle of PCR is the identification of a unique DNA fragment belonging to a given virus, after repeated doubling of the analyzed genetic material in a test tube.

OLYMP CDL branches perform PCR tests in REAL-TIME mode, which means that after each hardware cycle (amplification) the amount of DNA in the biomaterial is measured. This procedure reduces the probability of false positive results to almost zero!
The sampling material is blood.