Seroprevalence of Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in Indian and Filipino migrant populations in Qatar: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: The epidemiology of herpes simplex virus infections is of growing interest but information on its seroprevalence in many countries is scarce.

Aims: This study aimed to measure the seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in Filipino and Indian men living in Qatar.

Methods: Blood serum specimens were collected from male blood donors aged ≥ 18 years in Qatar from 2013 to 2016. HerpeSelect® 1/2 and Euroline-WB assays were used to measure antibodies to herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in 120 Filipino and 325 Indian men.

Results: The seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus-1 was 84.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 78.4-90.0%) in Filipino men and 48.3% (95% CI: 43.6-53.0%) in Indian men. The seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus-2 was 8.3% (95% CI: 4.6-13.7%) in Filipinos and 3.7% (95% CI: 2.2-5.9%) in Indians. The seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 increased with age, but this trend was only statistically significant in Indian men (P = 0.013 and P = 0.011 respectively).

Conclusions: The seroprevalence rates of herpes simplex virus-2 in Filipino and Indian men living in Qatar were similar to those found in the Philippines and India. However, the seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus-1 in Indians, while similar to that found in India, was substantially lower than that of other countries in Asia and developing countries worldwide, which needs further investigation.