Il Dong Kim, et al. Table 3. Comparison of Sexually Transmitted Pathogens Herpes virus 2 antibody-positive Control p value HIV 0 0 VDRL 0 0 STD 12/17 (70.5) 23/49 (46.9) 0.006 Chlamydia 3 1 Mycoplasma 2 3 Trichomonas 1 0 Ureaplasma 6 19 HPV 4/14 (28.5) 13/35 (37.1) 0.642 Genotype16 1 5 Genotype 18 1 1 Genotype 32 0 1 Genotype 34 0 1 Genotype 53 1 0 Genotype 53.68 1 0 Genotype 56 0 1 Genotype 62 0 1 Genotype 66 0 1 Genotype 74 0 1 Genotype 90 0 1 Condyloma 1 (1.17) 3 (0.72) 0.669 HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; VDRL, venereal disease research laboratory; STD, sexually transmitted disease; HPV, human papillomavirus. Values are presented as a number (%). Table 4. Comparison of Obstetric Complications Herpes virus 2 antibody-positive Control Abortion 33 (38.8) 123 (29.6) 1* 19 86 2 8 26 3 3 8 4 2 2 5 1 1 Preterm labor 2 (2.3) 15 (3.6) PROM 18 (21.2) 73 (17.6) Preterm delivery 7 (8.2) 26 (6.2) IUGR 14 (16.4) 75 (18.0) NICU 3 (3.5) 6 (1.4) PROM, preterm rupture of membrane; IUGR, intrauterine growth retardation; NICU, neonatal intensive care unit. Values are presented as a number (%). *The number of abortions a given gravida has had. p value 0.045 0.559 0.442 0.528 0.718 0.185 of HSV2 infections in gravidas in Korea. In the current study, the HSV2 positive rate was 17% in Korean gravidas. The HSV2 positive rate in gravidas from several countries has been surveyed. The HSV2 positive rate was higher in African countries, such as Uganda (67.2%)33 and Zimba- bwe (49.1%).34 In contrast, the HSV2 positive rates in Aus- tralia (13.6%)37 and the US (22%)36 are similar to the rate now shown for Korea (17%) (Table 5). Compared to women with primary Herpes Virus 2 infec- tions, women with non-primary infections reflect milder symptoms.7 75-85% of recurrences of genital infections are asymptomatic in infected women, however individuals in- fected with herpes virus are generally unaware of the inci- dent; as a mere 5-15% of people report an infection.8,9 There- fore gravidas, early in pregnancy, should be questioned for signs that may indicate genital herpes, not excluding pro- dromal symptoms. Suspected herpes virus infections should then be confirmed through viral or serological testing, as clinical presentation alone has a sensitivity of 40%, speci- ficity of 99% and a false positive rate of 20%.10 Only type- 404 Yonsei Med J http://www.eymj.org Volume 53 Number 2 March 2012