Immune System Behavior during Herpesvirus Infection in Childhood

The effect of hormones on immune response is a rapidly developing field. There are increasing number of studies connecting, CNS and endocrine systems to immune responses to infectious agents such as Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). Herpes Simplex (HSV) infections causing primary and recurrent infections are the cause of a wide spectrum of diseases with symptoms changing from mucocutaneous lesions to life threatening infections. HSV causing chronic infection have long lasting effects on the immune system. Many studies link childhood HSV infection with immunocompromised conditions and HSV infection with primary infection and secondary activation are becoming more and more prevalent among young children either with malignancies [1] or by in utero infection [2,3]. Immune system also is bidirectionally affected by the imuno-modulating hormones such as Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEAS) and cortisol.