THE QUANTITY OF LATENT VIRAL-DNA CORRELATES WITH THE RELATIVE RATES AT WHICH HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPES 1 AND 2 CAUSE RECURRENT GENITAL HERPES OUTBREAKS

Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) hare evolved spec ific anatomic tropisms and site-dependent rates of reactivation, To de termine whether reactivation rates depend on distinct abilities of HSV -1 and -2 to establish latency and to express latency-associated trans cripts (LATs), virulent strains of each virus were studied in the guin ea pig genital model, Following infection with equivalent titers of vi rus, the quantities of latent HSV-2 genomes and LATs were higher in lu mbosacral ganglia, and HSV-2 infections recurred more frequently and l asted longer than HSV-1 infections, In contrast, if the inoculum of HS V-1 was 10 times that of HSV-2, the quantity of HSV-1 DNA and LATs inc reased correspondingly and HSV-1 infections were as likely to recur as those with HSV-2, The quantity of latent virus DNA correlates with an d may be a major determinant of the site-specific patterns and rates o f reactivation of HSV-1 and -2.