Latent infections by herpes simplex virus in experimental animals

Studies in experimental animals, initially the rabbit and more recently the mouse, have been a great importance in establishing present day concepts concerning the phenomenon of herpesvirus latency. These early observations coupled with more recent knowledge of virological consequences following surgical manipulation of the trigeminal tract have led to a general hypothesis for the natural history of herpetic infections: The infection follows a circuit from skin, mucous membrane, or eye (the primary infection) to the corresponding sensory ganglia via associated nerves. Virus becomes latent in the ganglia and later, as a result of one of the many provocations known to be associated with recurrence of herpetic lesions, is reactivated and travels via the nerve to the surface and again produces lesions. Current research investigating this hypothesis is reviewed.