Comparison of four methods for typing low-passage herpes simplex virus isolates

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Molecular Biology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Herpes simplex virus (HSV) exists as two main types, HSV-1 and HSV-2.
• Accurate typing of HSV isolates is crucial for clinical management and epidemiological studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare multiple methods for differentiating clinical isolates of HSV-1 and HSV-2.
• To identify a reliable and cost-effective typing system for routine laboratory use.

Main Methods:

• Typing of over 550 clinical HSV isolates using four distinct methods:
• Sensitivity to (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2"-deoxyuridine (BVDU).
• Differential replication in chick embryo versus guinea pig embryo cells.
• Restriction endonuclease analysis.
• Direct fluorescent antibody technique with monoclonal antibodies.

Main Results:

• High concordance was observed between the different typing systems for all isolates.
• All evaluated methods demonstrated complete agreement in determining HSV type.
• The BVDU sensitivity assay, especially in a continuous cell line, proved to be an economical option.

Conclusions:

• Multiple validated methods exist for accurate HSV-1 and HSV-2 typing.
• The BVDU sensitivity assay is a cost-effective and reliable method suitable for general virology laboratories.
• Laboratories can confidently employ any of the discussed typing systems for clinical HSV isolate identification.