ABSTRACT
Objective To regard the implication of viruses particularly herpes in pemphigus vulgaris,and assess and compare the level of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV1 and HSV2),cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in patients with pemphigus vulgarisand healthy people.Methods In this study,23 patients with pemphigus vulgaris and 26 healthy individuals comprised the experimental and control groups,respectively.Serum samples were taken from both groups;the levels of IgG antibodies against HSV1,HSV2,CMV and EBV were measured using ELISA.Results Immunoglobulin G titer was higher for all four viruses in the patient group in comparison to the control group.This difference was significant for anti-EBV,anti-CMV and anti-HSV2 (t=2.16,P＜0.05;t =4.76,P＜ 0.01;t=3.75,P＜0.01),respectively,but not significant for anti-HSV1 (t=0.52,P＞0.05).Conclusion Viruses including EBV,CMV,and HSV2 probably play a role in the pathogenesis of pemphigus in addition to the effects of genetics,toxins and other predisposing factors.In this study,no statistically significant relationship was observed between HSV1 and pemphigus vulgaris.More studies must be done in this regard.