The Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol 25, Issue 1 59-66, Copyright © 1988 by Society for General Microbiology
The immunoglobulin response to individual HSV-1 viral polypeptides: kinetics of the response during primary and secondary experimental infection with herpes simplex virus
R. R. McKendall, M. Pettit and W. Woo
Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77550.
We studied the immunoglobulin response to individual viral polypeptides in
experimental primary and secondary infection with herpes simplex virus
(HSV)-1 in mice. After a single footpad inoculation with 10(5.6) pfu of
HSV-1, immunoglobulin to proteins mol. wts (10(3)) 44 and 75 appeared on
day 7. Antibodies to gB, gC, gD, 42 x 10(3)- and (48-52) x 10(3)-mol. wt
proteins appeared on day 11 and antibody to the major capsid protein,
VP154, appeared on day 15 after infection. The secondary immune response
was characterised by early production of antibody to gD on day 3 followed
by antibodies against the 42 x 10(3)- and 44 x 10(3)-mol. wt proteins on
days 4 and 5 respectively. Antibodies to glycoprotein gC and gB were
delayed until day 7 of the secondary immune response. In both primary and
secondary immune responses the responses against proteins of mol. wts
(10(3)) 42 and 44 were particularly intense and of high titre. We conclude
that the kinetics of anti-polypeptide antibody appearance is markedly
asynchronous; and that the anti-glycoprotein responses occur too late in
primary infection to contribute to viral clearance.
