POSTEXPOSURE VACCINATION WITH A VIRION HOST SHUTOFF DEFECTIVE MUTANT REDUCES UV-B RADIATION-INDUCED OCULAR HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS SHEDDING INMICE

A herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) recombinant (UL41NHB) deficient in the virion host shutoff (vhs) function was tested as a therapeutic vaccine in an ultraviolet (UV) light-induced mouse ocular reactivation model, Mice were infected with HSV-1 via the cornea, Following the es tablishment of latency by HSV-1 the mice were subsequently vaccinated intraperitoneally with one dose of UL41NHB or with uninfected cell ext ract, Mice were subsequently UV-irradiated to induce viral reactivatio n and during the 7 days post-UV irradiation, numbers of mice shedding virus were reduced from 13/23 (57%) to 3/25 (12%), and numbers of viru s-positive eye swabs were reduced from 40/161 (25%) to 6/175 (3%) by t he vaccine (P<0.001). These data suggest that deletion of vhs may be a useful strategy in the development of attenuated therapeutic HSV vacc ines. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.