Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus-2 IgG antibody in patients with carcinoma cervix

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide. Clinical observations and epidemiological studies on genital cancer have revealed an association with sexual behaviour thus motivating research into sexually transmitted agents which may be responsible for neoplasia. Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) infects the genital mucosa and establishes a lifelong latent infection in sensory ganglia. The observation that cervical carcinoma behaves like a venereally transmitted disease with a relatively long latency period has led to the suspicion that herpes simplex virus-2 might be its causative agent. In the present study, sera from 80 histopathologically diagnosed cases of carcinoma cervix were examined for IgG antibody by herpes simplex virus Type 2 recombinant Gg2 (IgG-ELISA) kit, manufactured by Nova Tec Immunodiagnostica, Gmbh, Germany. Among the 80 carcinoma cervix cases, 20% (16/80) were seropositive for herpes simplex virus-2 IgG antibody. Analysis according to histologic types of growth showed that all the positive cases were squamous cell carcinoma of cervix. None of the other types had antibodies to HSV-2.Serologic screening will help in early detection of high risk cases and help in prevention of carcinoma cervix.