Transmission of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection in an Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Brief Reports1 October 1992Transmission of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection in an Intensive Care UnitTrish M. Perl, MD, Thomas H. Haugen, MD, PhD, Michael A. Pfaller, MD, Richard Hollis, MA, Alfred D. Lakeman, PhD, Richard J. Whitley, MD, Don Nicholson, MD, Gloria A. Hunter, MS, Richard P. Wenzel, MD, MScTrish M. Perl, MD, Thomas H. Haugen, MD, PhD, Michael A. Pfaller, MD, Richard Hollis, MA, Alfred D. Lakeman, PhD, Richard J. Whitley, MD, Don Nicholson, MD, Gloria A. Hunter, MS, Richard P. Wenzel, MD, MScAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-117-7-584 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptHerpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection has reportedly been transmitted via contaminated secretions from an infected patient to susceptible health care workers, producing a finger infection called whitlow (1). However, the nosocomial transmission of more serious HSV-1 infections, such as keratitis, has not been described. Presumably, the transmission of blood-borne pathogens and possibly of HSV-1 has been reduced by current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, which encourage the use of gloves and protective eye-wear to prevent exposure to secretions or blood (2, 3). On 15 March 1989, a cluster of four persons with HSV-1 infection was identified in...References1. HamoryOstermanWenzel BCR. Herpetic whitlow [Letter]. N Engl J Med. 1975;292:268. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Recommendations for prevention of HIV transmission in health-care settings. MMWR. 1987;36(Suppl):35-185. Google Scholar3. Update: universal precautions for prevention of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, and other blood-borne pathogens in health-care settings. MMWR. 1988;37:377-87. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. LakemanNahmiasWhitley AAR. Analysis of DNA from recurrent genital herpes simplex virus isolates by restriction endonuclease digestion. Sex Transm Dis. 1986;13:61-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. McLarenEllisHunter CMG. A colorimetric assay for the measurement of the sensitivity of herpes simplex viruses to antiviral agents. Antiviral Res. 1983;3:223-34. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. MartinEllisKellerBironLehrmanBarry JMPKSD. Plaque autoradiography assay for the detection and quantitation of thymidine kinase-deficient and thymidine kinase-altered mutants of herpes simplex virus in clinical isolates. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1985;28:181-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. SibrackGutmanWilfertMcLarenSt. ClairKeller CLCCMP. Pathogenicity of Acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 from an immunodeficient child. J Infect Dis. 1982;146:673-82. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. AdamsStoverKeenlysideHootonBuchmanRoizman GBRTTB. Nosocomial herpetic infections in a pediatric intensive care unit. Am J Epidemiol. 1981;113:126-32. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. BuchmanRoizmanAdamsStover TBGB. Restriction endonuclease fingerprinting of herpes simplex virus DNA: a novel epidemiologic tool applied to a nosocomial outbreak. J Infect Dis. 1978;138:488-98. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. HammerBuchmanD'AngeloKarchmerRoizmanGerberding STLABJ. Temporal cluster of herpes simplex encephalitis: investigation by restriction endonuclease cleavage of viral DNA. J Infect Dis. 1980;141:436-40. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the University of Iowa College of Medicine and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa; the University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama; and Burroughs Wellcome Company, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. For current author addresses, see end of text. 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