The pathogenesis underlying the interaction of HIV and herpes simplex virus after co-infection.

An elucidation of the mechanisms of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)/HIV co-infection, including studies of the immunohistochemistry of co-infected lesions, co-infection of dendritic cells, confirmation and/or determination of the mechanism of keratinocyte co-infection, should allow targeting with specific interventions, such as the tailoring of microbicides, to HSV-2/HIV co-infection rather than to HIV infection alone. This could be especially important in countries where the HSV seroprevalence is very high, for example in Central Africa, where HSV-2 may stimulate HIV transmission in more than 40% of cases.