Differences in Neurovirulence among Isolates of Herpes Simplex Virus Types 1 and 2 in Mice using Four Routes of Infection

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 1981-11, Vol.144 (5), p.464-471
• Main Authors: Richards, James T., Kern, Earl R., Overall, James C., Glasgow, Lowell A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Central Nervous System Diseases - etiology; Experimental Medicine; Female; Ganglia; Genitalia; Herpes Simplex - microbiology; herpes simplex virus 1; herpes simplex virus 2; Human herpesvirus 1; Human herpesvirus 2; Infections; Inoculation; Mice; Mortality; Simplexvirus; Simplexvirus - pathogenicity; Virulence; Viruses
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/144.5.464

Differences in neurovirulence between herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-l) and type 2 (HSV-2) were investigated using recent clinical isolates and laboratory-passaged strains in intravaginal, intranasal, intraperitoneal, and intracerebral infections of mice. The HSV-2 isolates caused higher death rates in all four infections. No differences in death rate were observed between recent and passaged isolates of either HSV-l or HSV-2. After intravaginal inoculation, HSV-l isolates replicated to higher titers in the vaginal mucosa, but HSV-2 isolates produced a higher death rate and a greater frequency of latent infection in lumbosacral ganglia of surviving animals. After intranasal inoculation, HSV-2 isolates again produced a higher death rate, but the frequency of latent infection in trigeminal ganglia was higher with HSV-l isolates. The data suggest that the HSV-2 isolates have an enhanced capacity to enter and replicate in the central nervous system of mice but that latency is influenced by both virus type and route of inoculation.