The proportion of none infected, HSV-1 alone infected, HSV-2 alone infected and HSV-1 and HSV-2 co-infected in a cohort of Sri Lankan oral fibroepithelial polyp male patients

ObjectivesIt is not clear whether one HSV type can protect against the other or reduce clinical manifestations of the other. This study aimed to discover the proportion of non-infected, HSV-1 alone infected, HSV-2 alone infected, and HSV-1 and HSV-2 co-infected in a cohort of Sri Lankan oral fibroepithelial polyp male patients. MethodsA well-defined sub-sample included 29 FEP controls, sourced from a primary sample that accurately represents the predominant oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients in Sri Lanka. Tissue samples were taken from frozen excisional biopsies to avoid contamination and tested for HSV-DNA using a real{square}time PCR assay. ResultsMore than half 15 (51.8 %) of oral FEP patients were co-infected with HSV-1 and HSV-2. There were 03(10.3%) and 05 (17.2%) patients infected with HSV-1 and HSV-2, respectively. In contrast, 6 (20.7%) of the cohort of Sri Lankan male oral FEP patients were negative for single or co-HSV infections. ConclusionThe proportion of coinfections is increasing and has now surpassed that of single HSV infections among a low-risk cohort of male patients with oral fibroepithelial polyps in Sri Lanka. Well-designed studies are needed to determine the true prevalence of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, not just in clinically suspected or symptomatic patients.