TY - JOUR T1 - Prevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2 Antibodies in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders JF - In Vivo JO - In Vivo SP - 667 LP - 671 VL - 28 IS - 4 AU - IVAN GENTILE AU - EMANUELA ZAPPULO AU - RAFFAELE BONAVOLTA AU - ROBERTA MARESCA AU - MARIA PIA RICCIO AU - ANTONIO RICCARDO BUONOMO AU - GIUSEPPE PORTELLA AU - LUCA VALLEFUOCO AU - ALESSANDRO SETTIMI AU - ANTONIO PASCOTTO AU - GUGLIELMO BORGIA AU - CARMELA BRAVACCIO Y1 - 2014/07/01 UR - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/28/4/667.abstract N2 - Background/Aim: The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is unknown, even though it is hypothesized that a viral infection could trigger this disorder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seropositivity rate and antibody level of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1) and Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV2) in children with ASD compared to same-aged healthy controls. Patients and Methods: We compared seropositivity rate and levels of antibodies to HSV1/2 in 54 children with ASD (19 with autistic disorder and 35 with non-autistic ASD) and in 46 controls. Results: Seropositivity rate and levels of anti-HSV1/2 were not dissimilar between cases and controls. Exposure to HSV2 was minimal. Conclusion: Rate of contact with HSV1 and HSV2 assessed by the mean of detection of specific antibodies was similar between children with ASD and healthy controls. ER -