EXPRESSION OF HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS-DNA FRAGMENTS LOCATED IN EPIDERMAL-KERATINOCYTES AND GERMINATIVE CELLS IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF ERYTHEMA MULTIFORME LESIONS

Skin from acute and healed herpes simplex virus or herpes simplex viru s-associated erythema multiforme (HAEM) lesions was examined by polyme rase chain reaction with primers for DNA polymerase, ICP8, thymidine k inase (5' end of herpes simplex virus genome), and ICP27 (3' end of he rpes simplex virus genome). The printers were herpes simplex virus spe cific and equally sensitive. The four herpes simplex virus genes were seen in acute herpes simplex virus lesions, but except for one patient , only polymerase (or polymerase and ICP8) were seen in 7-d healed les ional skin. Herpes simplex virus DNA was not seen 1-1.5 mo after heali ng, HAEM skins from 18 of 24 patients (75%) were positive for polymera se DNA and four of 24 (17%) were also positive for ICP8 or thymidine k inase DNA. Only one tissue (4%) was positive for polymerase, ICP8, and ICP27 DNA. Skin from healed HAEM lesions was still polymerase DNA pos itive 1-3 mo after lesion resolution. The polymerase DNA signal was in the basal and spinous cell layers of the epidermis and in the outer r oot sheath of the hair follicle. Polymerase RNA was identified by reve rse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in skin from acute, but no t healed polymerase DNA positive HAEM lesions, suggesting that polymer ase expression is associated with HAEM lesion development.