Polymerase chain reaction for early detection of HSV-DNA in cerebrospinal fluid: an experimental mouse encephalitis study.

A series of experiments was carried out using a mouse HSV-1 encephalitis model for detecting HSV-DNA in CSF by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results were correlated with the time period after corneal inoculation, clinical signs and symptoms, and progression of infection in brain tissue (antigen detection and histopathology), and were compared with virus isolation by spin-amplified culture (SAC/IF). The PCR proved to be superior to SAC/IF, both with respect to early detection and the percentage of positive samples. The results of PCR did not correlate with signs of disease, nor with the interval post-inoculation. A correlation with the spread of HSV within the brain tissue was found. The possible pathways for virus spread from brain parenchyma to the CSF as well as a possible explanation for the low amounts of virus and viral-DNA within the CSF are discussed.