Natural Host Defense Systems Active against Herpes Simplex Virus Infections

Abstract

The strategies vary by which viruses invade a host and cause disease.(1) In return, the host defense systems that are called upon to intercept and sequester those pathogenic agents also differ.(2) The natural defense system of the infected animal constitutes the first barrier of active defense. These mechanisms act relatively nonspecifically and require no prior exposure to the invading microorganism in order to be active. Macrophages, interferon, and natural killer (NK) cells are three natural defense systems that are thought to be important in the control of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections and will be the focus of this chapter.