Presence of Viremia in Patients with Primary Herpetic Gingivostomatitis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Presence of viremia during primary herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections has been previously investigated, but the findings for immunocompetent individuals have only rarely been reported. METHODS: With use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we evaluated blood samples obtained from children with primary herpes simplex virus (HSV) gingivostomatitis for viremia. RESULTS: There were 16 girls and 16 boys, aged 9-44 months (median age, 19 months). Serological test results for HSV type 1 were positive for 3 subjects (10.3%), borderline for 7 (24.1%), and negative for 19 (65.5%). Results of PCR of peripheral blood samples were positive for 11 subjects (34.4%). Time from disease onset to specimen collection was 24-216 h (median, 72 h) and was longer for subjects with positive results of serological tests (P =.014) and shorter for subjects with positive PCR results (P=.42). No cases with positive results of both PCR and serological tests were found. CONCLUSION: PCR detected viremia in 34% of patients with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis. Presence of viremia may play a potential role in viral dissemination, providing a better understanding of the pathogenesis of HSV infections, especially of the central nervous system.