Resistance of Herpes Simplex to Acyclovir

Excerpt

Clinical trials have shown that intravenous acyclovir is effective for prophylaxis and treatment of mucocutaneous herpes simplex virus infections in immunocompromised patients (1-3) and for treatment of primary genital herpes in otherwise normal adults (4). Acyclovir ointment has been found effective for initial episodes of genital herpes and for mucocutaneous herpes infections in immunocompromised patients (5, 6). Because of its relatively low toxicity, acyclovir will be prescribed widely for herpes simplex infections. Now is the time to address the potential problem of drug resistance in order to devise an appropriate strategy for drug use that will benefit the most patients.