Luyt CE, Forel JM, Hajage D, et al. - In order to find out whether preemptive treatment with intravenous acyclovir decreases the duration of mechanical ventilation in patients with herpes simplex virus (HSV) oropharyngeal reactivation, researchers conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial in 16 intensive care units in France. A total of 239 adults were included (age, >18 years) between February 2, 2014, and February 22, 2018, who received mechanical ventilation for at least 96 hours and continued to receive mechanical ventilation for 48 hours or more, with HSV oropharyngeal reactivation. Individuals were assigned randomly to receive intravenous acyclovir, 5 mg/kg, 3 times daily for 14 days or a matching placebo. The use of acyclovir, 5 mg/kg, 3 times daily for 14 days, did not improve the number of ventilator-free days at day 60 in individuals receiving mechanical ventilation for 96 hours or more with HSV reactivation in the throat, in comparison with placebo.