Journal de dermatologie et des maladies dermatologiques

No Evidence of HSV Presence in the Serum of Vitiligo Patients

Abstract

Zhe Liu, Rui-Qun Qi, Lian-Shuang Zhao, Xiao-Dong Sun, Da-Yong Dong, Gui-Hua Li, Ya-Ni Lv, Long Geng, Hong-Duo Chen and Xing-Hua Gao

Vitiligo is mostly regarded as a consequence of autoimmune response, while the triggering factors remain to be determined. We checked the presence of HSV specific DNA, and IgG and IgM antibodies against HSV, in serum of 90 vitiligo patients by PCR and chemiluminescence methods, respectively. No HSV specific DNA was detected in vitiligo of any types or stages. The seropositivity of antibodies against HSV was similar between the patients and controls. Other approaches should be tried to clarify the role of HSV in the pathogenesis of vitiligo.