Microbocode & Safe Sex (7)

Genital Herpes

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) or type 2 (HSV-2). Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. HSV-1 can cause genital herpes. But it more commonly causes infections of the mouth and lips, called “fever blisters.”

Most people have no or few symptoms from herpes infection. When symptoms do occur, they usually appear as 1 or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender sores that may take up to 4 weeks to heal. Another outbreak can appear weeks or months later. But it almost always is less severe and shorter than the first outbreak.
Although the infection can stay in the body forever, the outbreaks tend to become less severe and occur less often over time. You can pass genital herpes to someone else even when you have no symptoms.

You can get genital herpes through genital-genital contact or genital-oral contact with someone who has herpes infection. The virus is most easily spread through contact with open sores. But you also can get the virus from skin that does not appear to have a sore. You can become infected with the herpes virus without having intercourse.

Symptoms of herpes outbreaks typically begin with pain, tenderness, or itching in the genital area and may also include fever and headache. Bumps and blisters may appear on the vagina, penis, scrotum, anus, thigh, or buttocks. Blisters soon open to form painful sores that can last up to 3 weeks.

Microbicide & Herpes (2)

Genital herpes is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections worldwide and is the most common cause of genital ulcers. Despite increased public awareness and the initiation of efforts to prevent transmission, the prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 continues to increase.

What makes HSV so difficult to control is that most sexual and perinatal transmission occurs during unrecognized or asymptomatic shedding. The impact of genital herpes as a public health threat is amplified because of its epidemiological synergy with HIV/AIDS. Thus, there is an urgent need for novel prophylactic methods, such as topical microbicides designed for genital application, to prevent both HSV and HIV transmission.

In summary, genital herpes is a critical global health priority because of its devastating impact on young adults and infants and its association with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Topical microbicides that block transmission at the mucosal surface may provide a realistic method of intervention for worldwide distribution. Currently, there are several candidate drugs being advanced to clinical trials that block both HSV and HIV infection by inhibiting binding and entry in vitro.

Whether blockade of entry will be sufficient to prevent sexual transmission or whether a combination strategy targeting multiple steps in the viral life cycle will be required is not yet known. Importantly, before embarking on large-scale clinical trials, more extensive evaluation of candidate microbicides, including assessment of the impact on innate defences, is warranted. Assessment of the safety and mucosal response to microbicides should be accrued from several different models including cell and organ cultures, animal models and, most importantly, pilot clinical studies.

((Excerpt of)Topical microbicides for the prevention of genital herpes infection: Marla J. Keller, Ana Tuyama, Maria Josefina Carlucci and Betsy C. Herold)

A topical microbicide that silences two genes can safely protect against genital herpes infection for as long as one week, according to a joint study by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Harvard Medical School.

Microbicide & Herpes (1)

Excitement here over a microbicide that protects women against HIV grew when researchers reported that it also protects against herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) infection.
The gel is not a contraceptive, but a microbicide. Microbicidal gels or creams are inserted into the vagina solely to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. There are currently no such products on the market. Women who have herpes are at increased risk of contracting HIV, so diminishing the risk of getting herpes also diminishes the risk of HIV infection.
In a randomized controlled trial, the vaginal gel reduced women's risk of HIV infection by 39% compared with placebo, according to researchers.


A 2010 clinical trial found that microbicides -- vaginal gel spiked with antiretrovirals -- cut HIV transmission during sex by 39 percent. But researchers also found that microbicides reduced a woman's risk of herpes by a whopping 51 percent.