Diagnosis:
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection Gingivostomatitis
• The most common manifestation of primary herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection is gingivostomatitis, which is characterized by painful vesicular lesions of the oral mucosa. By comparison, conjunctivitis, keratitis, and encephalitis are rare.
• Herpetic hepatitis occurs only in reactivation disseminated disease, not as a primary manifestation.
• HSV-1 and HSV-2 are members of the Herpesviridae family, which are enveloped, double-stranded DNA viruses.
• About one third of individuals exposed to HSV develop latent infection in nerve cell ganglia proximal to the primary site of infection with orofacial (HSV-1) disease involving the trigeminal ganglia and genital (HSV-2) infections affecting the sacral nerve root ganglia.
• Both primary and secondary HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections can cause intrauterine or neonatal disease, often associated with cutaneous, ocular, and neurologic manifestations.
