CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNE-RESPONSES IN RECURRENT HERPESVIRUS INFECTIONS .1. LYMPHOCYTE-PROLIFERATION ASSAY

Google Scholar
  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 118  (3) , 895-902
Abstract
Studies in immunosuppressed and immunodeficient patients indicate that the cell-mediated immune response appears to be responsible for controlling reactivated herpesvirus infections. In this study the various parameters of a herpesvirus (types 1 and 2) antigen specific lymphocyte proliferation assay were optimized and used to evaluate individuals with clinical, recurrent HSV-1 [herpes simplex virus type 1] and HSV-2 infections. Normal individuals with neutralizing antibody to HSV-1 or HSV-2 as well as individuals with recurrent disease responded to virus antigen in culture. Normal individuals without neutralizing antibody responded with a significantly lower response. Specificity of the lymphocyte proliferation assay was observed most strikingly in normal individuals with a rare HSV-1 infection during the vesicular eruption. Specificity was also observed by determining the ratio of the response to HSV-1 as compared to the response to HSV-2. Evaluated in this manner, individuals with recurrent HSV-1 infections had significantly higher ratios than individuals with HSV-2 infections and vice versa. Data from individuals with recurrent disease was compared to that of normal individuals to determine whether the former demonstrated a specific alteration in this response. Individuals with recurrent disease had higher neutralizing antibody titers than normals. The neutralizing antibody titers in normal individuals correlated well with the lymphocyte proliferation assay results, whereas a similar evaluation in individuals with recurrent disease gave a negative correlation. The ratio of HSV-1 response/HSV-2 response also demonstrated a suppressed response in recurrent infections to the homologous virus during active disease, which disappeared when the individual was convalescent. Individuals with recurrent HSV infections apparently have virus antigen specific alterations of their cell-mediated immune response, which can be associated with their disease.

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: