Detection of type-specific antibody to herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 in human sera by complement-fixation tests

Type-specific antigens for herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 were prepared by rigorous absorption of cell extracts with heterotypic immune sera. Type-specificity was demonstrated by immunodiffusion and complement-fixation tests against immune sera prepared in rabbits. Specific type 1 complement-fixing reactivity was detected in eleven of fifteen sera from Roman Catholic nuns and in two convalescent sera from patients with recurrent herpes labialis; these sera had been previously shown to contain neutralising and complement-fixing antibody to herpes simplex virus. Three of the non-reacting sera contained low or absent levels of type-common complement-fixing reactivity and other contained no type-specific neutralising antibody. With the exception of three "acute" sera, specific type 2 complement-fixing reactivity was detected in every convalescent or interim serum obtained from patients with a virologically-proven history of type 2 herpes virus infection. It is suggested that complement-fixation testing using these absorbed type-specific antigens preparations may provide a convenient and rapid method for the identification of type-specific antibody in human sera.