Features of change of immune status indicators in individuals with active and latent forms of herpes-virus infections

Abstract

Objective. The aim of the study is to investigate the peculiarities of changes in the immune status of individuals with active and latent forms of herpesvirus infections. Herpesvirus infections are an urgent problem of modern health care. Materials and methods. The prospective longitudinal cohort study included 92 permanent blood donors who were examined twice at 6-month intervals for the presence of specific IgM and IgG antibodies and antigens of herpes simplex viruses 1, 2, Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus type 6, as well as humoral immunity indicators. Results. In the period from October to April, 68.5 % of blood and its components donors were found to have markers of active herpesvirus infection caused by HSV 1, 2, EBV, CMV, and HHV6. The combination of the detected markers in the absence of clinical manifestations and changes in General and biochemical blood tests indicated asymptomatic reactivation of latent infection. The frequency of reactivations in the autumn and spring months is the same. The absence of IgG production after asymptomatic reactivation of HSV-2 and HHV-6 infections and an increase in IgG concentrations to HSV-1, EBV, and CMV were revealed. EBV infection is the most common among the studied nosologies (98.91 %) and is characterized by statistically significantly higher levels of specific IgG. The effect of asymptomatic reactivation of herpesvirus infections on the levels of total IDA, IgM, IgG, IDE, and CEC was not established. Conclusions. Asymptomatic reactivation of herpesvirus infections does not significantly affect the changes in immune status indicators, and the absence of clinical manifestations, and significant changes in General and biochemical blood tests cause epidemiological risks associated with difficulties in identifying the sources of infection.