An electron microscopic study of the epidermal infiltrate in recurrent herpes simplex

Host immunity has been suspected of playing a role in recurrent herpes simplex. In this preliminary ultrastructural study of two patients with acute herpetic eruption, it was noted that the keratinocytes exhibiting the most severe damage are those adjacent to large granular lymphocytes. In contrast, many keratinocytes filled with viral particles of herpes simplex show little or no signs of keratinocyte damage. These observations suggest that in recurrent herpes simplex the epidermal damage may be due, at least in part, to cell-mediated host immunity as well as to the viral infection.