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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

A Primary Neuron Culture System for the Study of Herpes Simplex Virus Latency and Reactivation
Published on: April 2, 2012
Herpes Simplex Virus-1 in the Brain: The Dark Side of a Sneaky Infection
Maria Elena Marcocci1, Giorgia Napoletani1, Virginia Protto1
1Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) establishes latency preferentially in sensory neurons of peripheral ganglia. A variety of stresses can induce recurrent reactivations of the virus, which spreads and then actively replicates to the site of primary infection (usually the lips or eyes). Viral particles produced following reactivation can also reach the brain, causing a rare but severe form of diffuse acute infection, namely herpes simplex encephalitis. Most of the time, this infection is clinically asymptomatic. However, it was recently correlated with the production and accumulation of neuropathological biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. In this review we discuss the different cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the acute and long-term damage caused by HSV-1 infection in the brain.
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