HSV-1 as well as HSV-2 is frequent in oral mucosal lesions of children on chemotherapy.

Purpose: Prevalence data of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in oral mucositis in children on treatment for cancer is limited. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been seldom utilized for detection of HSV-1/2 in oral mucosa.

Methods: Children on treatment for cancer with oral mucositis were enrolled as cases and healthy children as controls. An oral swab from the lesion in cases and mucosal scraping in controls were obtained. Both qualitative and real-time quantitative PCR for HSV-1/2 were performed. Serum ELISA-IgG/IgM for HSV-1/2 antibodies (NovaLisa™-Dietzenbach-Germany) were measured.

Results: Thirty-two cases (Age, 6.3±3.4 years) and 30 controls were enrolled. Majority (69%) of cases had ALL. All patients had febrile neutropenia, except two. ELISA-IgM-HSV-1/2 was not positive in any case or control. ELISA-IgG-HSV-1/2 was positive in 11 (34%) cases and nine (30%) controls (p=1.0). Qualitative PCR for HSV-1 detected the virus in eight (25%) cases and nil controls (p=0.009). HSV-2 was not detected in any case/control by qualitative PCR. Quantitative PCR detected HSV-1 in 21 (66%) and HSV-2 in 22 (69%) cases. In controls, quantitative PCR detected HSV-1 in three (10%) and HSV-2 in none. In patients, the mean viral load of HSV-1 (5,500±15,987×10(4) copies/nanogram DNA) was more than HSV-2 (4.03±8.5×10(4)) (p=0.11). There was no correlation of HSV-1/2 with grading of mucositis.

Conclusions: Both HSV-1/2 are commonly shed from oral mucosal lesions in children receiving chemotherapy. In a novel finding, real-time PCR detected copies of HSV-2 in 69% cases, all missed by conventional PCR. Implication for morbidity, if any, or treatment needs to be determined.