Centre for Clinical Research

Herpes simplex virus infection & disease in early infancy and childhood

Duration: 2019 – 2025

Funding Source: HDR Scholarship, UQ

Chief Investigators: Angela Berkhaut, Cheryl Jones, Julia Clark, Phil Britton, Vishal Kapoor, Clare Nourse

PhD Student: Angela Berkhaut

Aim

To describe the current epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in neonates and young infants and HSV Central Nervous System (CNS) infection in children.

Background

Herpes simplex virus infection in infancy and in children although uncommon can be devastating with significant morbidity and mortality.

Key Clinical Challenges Include:

  • Clinical presentation varies and is often non-specific.
  • In children, it can lead to a milder disease involving the skin or mucous membranes to a more severe disease involving the CNS or disseminated disease.
  • Despite improved diagnostics, challenges still exist in identifying children with HSV infection.

Impact

The spectrum of clinical manifestations and short and long-term outcomes need to be better defined to decrease the considerable morbidity and mortality still associated with this potentially devastating infection.