Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 DNA in Human Brain Tissue

Abstract

The putative role of viruses, especially of herpes simplex virus (HSV), in the etiology of schizophrenia and related mental disorders has been discussed since the finding of elevated antibody levels to HSV type 1 in psychiatric patients (Rimon and Halonen, 1969). Libikova (1983) found that the geometric mean titer of neutralizing antibodies (NA) to HSV type 1 was higher in each age group of schizophrenic (SCH) patients as compared to controls. The hemagglutination inhibition antibodies to measles virus and the complement fixation antibodies to varicella—zoster virus were not increased when tested in the same sera. Repeated serologic investigation with a great number of sera from SCH patients and controls confirmed the elevated NA titers in the presence and absence of complement in the sera of domestic SCH patients but not in those obtained from abroad (Rajcani et al., 1987). Using ELISA and a sensitive neutralization test in the presence of complement, we found that both tests were positive in 42 of 262 (16%) CSF samples from SCH patients. The NA titered ≥ 4 and the ELISA ≥ 128 (Bartova et al., 1987). For this reason we decided to compare the results of both tests in a further representative group of SCH patients.