Detection of herpes simplex virus intertypic recombinant genomes in infected cell DNA

Intertypic recombination between herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) was detected using DNA from mixedly infected cells. Because HSV-1 and HSV-2 share a 50% base sequence homology along the genome but have markedly different DNA restriction enzyme cleavage patterns, recombination events can be detected and quantified by analysis of restriction endonuclease digests for the presence of novel DNA fragments. We have used this technique to quantify the degree of interference by HSV-2 on HSV-1 replication as well as the effect of limiting the availability of one genome on the frequency of intertypic recombination. Because this technique does not require production of viable progeny virions, it should also be useful for studying early recombination events.