[The lymphocyte transformation test in patients with recurrent herpes simplex diseases (author's transl)]

The in vivo stimulation of lymphocytes was used to assess cell mediated immunity to herpes simplex virus (hsv) in patients with recurrent skin eruptions caused by this virus. 1. Phytohaemagglutinine stimulation of lymphocytes was normal in all examined patients. There was no difference in the PHA-stimulation of a control group. 2. Specific lymphocytes stimulation by hsv-antigen may be regarded as a sensitive parameter for a previous hsv-infection. 3. In 6 patients with severe infections of hsv type I or II and more than 10 recurrences per year we found a lower stimulation than in patients with occasionally (up to 10 times a year) skin eruptions. 4. An antigen used as vaccine, Lupidon H, ten times more concentrated (100,000 EID/ml) than the commercially available antigen is able to stimulate lymphocytes in vitro.