Herpes Simplex Type I Infection and Atopy Association in Turkish Children with Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis

This study investigated the association between HSV-1 infection and atopy by comparing seropositivity to HSV-1 in atopic children with asthma and allergic rhinitis and in non-atopic children. Totally 249 children randomly selected from the university outpatient pediatric clinics were prospectively enrolled in the study between September 1 and November 30, 2007. Serum samples were examined using the virus neutralization test (VNT) for HSV-1 Immunoglobulin G(IgG) seropositivity. Skin prick tests (SPTs) were performed to determine atopic status. The results showed that HSV-1 IgG seropositivity was significantly higher in atopic children (56.8%) with asthma and allergic rhinitis than in the age-matched non-atopic children group (30.4%) (p<0.001). Although the occurrence of atopy was higher in seropositive girls (57%) than in seropositive boys (47%), the difference was not significant (p=0.329). These results support a possible relationship between the atopic status of children with asthma and allergic rhinitis and HSV-1 infection.