Herpes simplex hepatitis before and after acyclovir treatment. Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization study.

A healthy 20-year-old woman developed herpes simplex virus (HSV) hepatitis. The diagnosis was made by needle biopsy of the liver, and the patient was intravenously treated with acyclovir for 15 consecutive days (total dose, 21 g). The liver biopsy specimen and liver tissue obtained at autopsy were processed for immunoperoxidase staining with rabbit anti-HSV and for DNA-DNA in situ hybridization. The liver biopsy tissue revealed massive necrosis of hepatocytes, which were strongly positive for HSV with both immunoperoxidase and in situ hybridization methods. The liver tissue obtained at autopsy showed regenerative nodules of hepatocytes, surrounded by connective tissue stroma. Within the connective tissue there were completely necrotic hepatocytes, which were positive for HSV with the immunoperoxidase method but almost completely negative with the in situ hybridization method, except for a very few HSV DNA-positive hepatocytic nuclei. It was concluded that immunoperoxidase staining with anti-HSV is a sensitive method with which to detect ongoing and previous HSV infection, whereas the in situ hybridization method is specific for HSV-DNA from viable HSV.