HIGHLY VARIABLE DISTRIBUTION OF HSV-1-SPECIFIC DNA IN HUMAN GENICULATE, VESTIBULAR AND SPIRAL GANGLIA

Viral reactivation in temporal ganglia is the suspected cause of Bell' s palsy, vestibular neuritis and sudden hearing loss. Since the distri bution of latent herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) in geniculate, vestibul ar and spiral ganglia of individual human temporal bones could have im plications for the explanation of isolated as well as combined disorde rs of these three cranial nerves, we examined these ganglia in 18 huma n temporal bones of adults by nested polymerase chain reaction. In all of the temporal bones HSV-1 specific DNA was detected: 10/18 (56%) of the geniculate, 11/18 (61%) of the vestibular and 9/18 (50%) of the s piral ganglia samples were positive. All combinations of positive and negative ganglia were found in individual temporal bones at roughly eq ual frequencies. These data support a viral etiology of all three cond itions, especially their occasional combinations. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sc ience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved