Diagnosis off human herpesvirus infections [epstein-barr virus and herps simplex viruses] by polymerase chain reaction test

ABSTRACT

Herpesviruses are important human pathogens which establish latent and asymptomatic infections in the majority of infected individuals. Commonly used antibody tests are frequently insufficient for diagnosing herpesvirus.associated diseases and should be supplemented with the direct detection of the virus or its components. The method of choice for this now is a polymerase chain reaction [PCR] test. In this study highly sensitive, nested PCR tests were developed for the detection and genotyping of Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] and for the detection of herpes simplex virus, type 1 and type 2 [HSV-1 and 2]. These tests were introduced in Kuwait for the first time and since have been offered for diagnosis of such HSV- and EBV-associated diseases as herpes encephalitis, post-transplantation and AIDS-related lymphomas, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and lymphoepithelioma-like cancers