Neurological Complications of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infection

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection is responsible for significant neurological morbidity, perhaps more than any other virus. Seroprevalence studies suggest that as many as 45 million people in the United States have been infected with HSV-2, and the estimated incidence of new infection is 1 million annually. Substantial numbers of these persons will manifest neurological symptoms that are generally, although not always, mild and self-limited. Despite a 50% genetic homology between HSV-1 and HSV-2, there are significant differences in the clinical manifestations of these 2 viruses. We herein review the neurological complications of HSV-2 infection.