An outbreak of herpes simplex virus type I gingivostomatitis in a dental hygiene practice
J. P. Manzella, J. H. McConville, W. Valenti, M. A. Menegus, E. M. Swierkosz and M. Arens
An outbreak of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type I gingivostomatitis occurred
in a dental hygiene practice in November 1981. An epidemiologic
investigation disclosed that 20 of 46 patients seen by the dental hygienist
during a four-day period had this illness, whereas none of 26 patients seen
by the dentist alone became ill. One day after the outbreak, the hygienist
was found to have a herpetic whitlow. Identical endonuclease restriction
enzyme type I HSV was isolated from the left index finger of the hygienist
and from nine of 16 patients. The nine patients with positive cultures all
had at least a fourfold increase in complement fixing antibody titer. A
similar significant increase in titer indicated another seven cases.
