November 21, 2002
A Vaccine against Genital Herpes
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Two double-blind, controlled trials assessed the efficacy of a glycoprotein-D–subunit vaccine to prevent genital herpes disease. The vaccine elicited humoral and cellular responses, but efficacy was found only in women who were seronegative for both herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) (efficacy in the two studies was 73 and 74 percent). The vaccine was not efficacious in women who were seronegative for HSV-2 if they were seropositive for HSV-1, nor was it efficacious in men.
Genital herpes is epidemic, and a vaccine is needed that can prevent both symptomatic disease and transmission of the virus. These trials find some efficacy for this vaccine, but only in women who are seronegative for both HSV-1 and HSV-2. We do not yet know whether this vaccine can prevent asymptomatic infection and reduce the transmission of HSV.
