REACTIVATION OF HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS FROM LATENTLY INFECTED MICE AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF CADMIUM IS MOUSE-STRAIN-DEPENDENT

It was previously reported that administration of cadmium (Cd) to CBA mice latently infected with herpes simplex virus (HSV) results in a hi gh incidence of virus reactivation in vivo. In the present study, Cd-i nducible reactivation was used to compare CBA with four other laborato ry mouse strains. HSV reactivation, as measured by the recovery of inf ectious particles from latently infected trigeminal ganglia following Cd treatment, occurred predominantly in the CBA strain and was almost entirely absent from other strains tested. There was no correlation of strain-dependent Cd toxicity with the recovery of infectious virus. I n situ examination of Cd-treated ganglia from latently infected CBA an d BALB/c mice revealed that viral antigens were expressed exclusively in CBA specimens, but that viral replicative transcripts were expresse d in both strains, although more strongly in CBA than in BALB/c specim ens. We conclude that Cd treatment had induced reactivation of HSV fro m both mouse strains, and that the reactivation process was completed in CBA but not in BALB/c mice.