Immunespecific interferon production by peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes from patients with primary and recurrent orolabial herpes simplex virus infections

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Abstract
Immunespecific IFN (IFN) is produced by the peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes (PBML) of greater than 95% of HSV-seropositive humans with infrequent recurrences of herpes labialis [Green, Yeh, and Overall, 1981]. However, herpes virus-induced immunespecific IFN was produced by PBML from only 33 of 48 (68.8%) persons with frequent recurrences (2–12 episodes a year). Two of eight subjects with primary herpes gingivostomatitis also failed to produce immunespecific IFN during either the acute or convalescent phases of their initial HSV infection. These data suggest that some persons have a defective immunespecific IFN response that exists from the time of their primary orolabial HSV type 1 infection. This defect may predispose to a higher frequency of disease in some individuals.