Rapid Detection Of Herpes Simplex Virus Research Articles

Rapid Detection of HSV from Cytologic Specimens Collected into ThinPrep Fixative

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in neonates. A diagnosis of HSV on cervical cytologic studies could lead to a cesarean section, with an increase in the risk of maternal morbidity. The identification of viral lesions in sexually active women has medical and social implications. There have been reports of false positive diagnoses of HSV in patients with altered endocervical cells and with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3. We evaluated a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay to detect HSV-1 and HSV-2 in routinely collected cervical cytology specimens in ThinPrep fixative (Cytyc Corp., Marlborough, Massachussets, U.S.A.).DNA was extracted from five cases that demonstrated cytologic changes suggestive of an HSV infection. PCR amplification with subsequent gel electrophoresis was performed to detect the presence of HSV.HSV DNA was detected in three of five cases that were cytologically diagnosed as suspicious or strongly suspicious for HSV infection.The combination of the ThinPrep liquid-based method for cervical cytology with PCR allows prompt confirmation of the diagnosis of HSV without sacrificing the diagnostic morphology on the slide.

Effect of rolling on foci development and viral replication for Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)

The effect of rolling on the number of herpes simplex virus (HSV) foci and yield of infectious virus was examined for cultures inoculated with clinical specimens. Inoculated cultures were either rolled at 2 revolutions per minute (rpm) or held stationary. Cultures that were rolled at 2 rpm showed a significantly greater number of foci and plaque forming units (PFU) over stationary cultures. The geometric mean fold increase in PFU between rolled and stationary cultures was 8-fold. Rolling of inoculated cultures should be used in the clinical virology laboratory to aid in the rapid detection of HSV.