Immunological parameters in patients with frequently recurring genital herpes and response to treatment with a combination of acyclovir and interferon-β

Immunologic status of 33 patients with frequently recurring genital herpes (FRGH) and the effect of two different antiviral regimens have been studied. Patients were treated with oral acyclovir capsules, 200 mg 4 times per day for 6 months (group A), or with a combination of oral acyclovir, 200 mg twice per day for 6 months, and intramuscular interferon-β (IFN-β), 3 MU daily for 10 days at every disease recurrence (group B). Before treatment, several immunologic abnormalities involving T and B lymphocytes, as well as cytotoxic (NK/K) cells, were observed in all patients. Clinical results confirmed the previously reported efficacy and safety of acyclovir for suppression of episodes of genital herpes. The acyclovir efficacy was enhanced by combination with IFN-β, which has antiviral and immunomodulatory properties. In our patients with FRGH and cell-mediated immunity impairment, IFN-β was able to restore, in part, the host immune deficit with a significant reduction in the number of recurrence of genital herpes episodes (recurrence rate of 19% in group B vs 47% in group A). No significant toxic effects were detected in either therapeutic regimes.