Detection of Human Cytomegalovirus and Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 in cervical sample

To detect the presence of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV-2) DNA in cervical samples from women assisted in a primary health care clinic in the city of Coari, Amazonas, Brazil. Participated in this study 361 sexually active women between 18 and 78 years. They were been assisted in a Basic Health Care Clinic for routine gynecological exam. The cervical samples were collected using endocervical brush. The viruses were detected using real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. Mean age was 36.4 years (standard deviation (SD)=13.4). HCMV DNA was found in cervical samples from 30 women (8.3%; IC95% 5.8 - 11.8) and HSV 2 DNA in 2 women (0.6%; IC95% 0.1 - 2.2). Two women related being HIV positive, one of them infected with HCMV. There were no statistically significant associations between infections by the pathogens studied and socioeconomic, clinical or behavioral variables. The prevalence of the HCMV infection found in the sample points to the need for screening of the virus during pregnancy and surveillance in immunocompromised patients. The low prevalence of HSV-2 found is probably due to the fact that cervical sampling is not appropriate for this type of study because of the characteristics of viral biology related to neurovirulence.