Herpes Simplex Virus DNA in Pityriasis Rosea
Title: Investigation of herpes simplex virus
DNA in pityriasis rosea by polymerase chain reaction.
Authors: Bozdag KE, et al.
Publication: Int J Dermatol. 2005 Jun;44(6):477-8.
The authors wanted to determine whether human simplex virus (HSV)
type 1 and 2 DNA are present in the skin lesions and blood samples
of patients with pityriasis rosea. They conducted a polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) test to test skin samples from 10 patients
and 2 control subjects.
They did not find any HSV1 and HSV2 DNA in the pityriasis rosea
lesions and concluded that there was no relationship between these
viruses and the skin condition.
Editor’s note: PCR is used to amplify a select sequence of
DNA chains by using an enzymatic reaction. This test is commonly
used to detect a presence of specific DNA sequences in a sample.
