BACKGROUND The effect of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) suppression on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA in the context of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) interventions is unknown. METHODS Between April 2008 and August 2010, we conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of twice daily 500 mg valacyclovir or placebo beginning at 34 weeks gestation in 148 H...

BACKGROUND Maternal administration of the acyclovir prodrug valacyclovir is compatible with pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, the safety profile of prolonged infant and maternal exposure to acyclovir in the context of antiretrovirals (ARVs) for prevention of mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission (PMTCT) has not been described. METHODS Pregnant Kenyan women co-infected with HIV-1/HSV-2 with C...

BACKGROUND Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a common cause of acute and recurrent aseptic meningitis. Our aim was to determine the impact of antiviral suppression on recurrence of meningitis and to delineate the full spectrum of neurological complications. METHODS One hundred and one patients with acute primary or recurrent HSV-2 meningitis were assigned to placebo (n = 51) or 0.5 g of ...

BACKGROUND Valacyclovir has been used for prophylaxis against cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We investigated the efficacy and safety of high-dose Valacyclovir as pre-emptive therapy in patients with CMV antigenemia after HSCT. METHODS In a retrospective single center study of 61 patients, we compared the rates of viral clearance, recurren...

BACKGROUND To report the outcome of oral valacyclovir as the sole antiviral therapy for patients with acute retinal necrosis (ARN). METHODS This study reports a retrospective, interventional case series of nine consecutive patients with ten eyes with newly diagnosed ARN treated with oral valacyclovir as the sole antiviral agent. Eight patients received oral valacyclovir 2 g tid (Valtrex, Glax...

Introduction: Acute retinal necrosis (ARN) is a rare, rapidly progressive viral retinitis. The current standard of care for ARN consists of intravenous acyclovir for 5-10 days, followed by oral acyclovir for an additional 6-12 weeks. Valacyclovir has superior plasma bioavailability to acyclovir as an oral preparation. The aim of this study is to add to the evidence of treating ARN with valacycl...

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection is associated with a 3-fold increase in the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition, perhaps through alterations in mucosal HIV-susceptible target cells. We performed a clinical trial to assess the impact of herpes therapy on cervical immunology in HSV-2-infected, HIV-uninfected women from Africa or the Caribbean who were living in To...

Infections by herpes simplex virus (HSV) cannot yet be eliminated, but the severity of the disease can be reduced. Two newer drugs with established efficacy for such infections, famciclovir and valacyclovir, were tested in a mouse eye model of HSV infection. Both drugs significantly reduced mortality and titers of virus shed from the eyes of mice infected with an otherwise lethal dose of HSV ty...

BACKGROUND We hypothesized that subset classification of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is required. At first, a blinded-random placebo-controlled trial of valacyclovir in EBV CFS subset was performed (Group 1), and this EBV subset was followed for thirty-six months (Group 2). Patients were given valacyclovir at 14.3 mg/kg every 6 hours. The validated Energy Index (E...

BACKGROUND In a randomized study, we observed a higher incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection with pre-emptive valganciclovir therapy as compared with valacyclovir prophylaxis for prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease after renal transplantation (RTx). Persistence of the virus within the allograft could stimulate the alloimmune response. The aim of our study was to evaluate intragraft...