Humoral and cell-mediated immunity in neonates with herpes simplex virus infection

Fifty-nine neonates with herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection were evaluated with use of assays for neutralizing antibody (NAb), lymphocyte transformation (LT), alpha interferon production, and virus-specific antibody (immunoblots). Infants with disseminated disease or onset in the first week of life were more likely to lack NAb. Patients treated with vidarabine were more likely than those treated with acyclovir to develop a fourfold rise in NAb titer. Infants with encephalitis showed a broader spectrum of IgG and IgM antibody reactivity against HSV proteins by immunoblotting than did those who had earlier onset of mucocutaneous illness. Only 10 of 33 infants had HSV-specific LT, compared with eight of eight adults with primary HSV. Neonates with positive LT were more likely to show a fourfold rise in NAb titer. In vitro alpha interferon production was diminished in infants, compared with values in adults.