Primary cultures of murine neurons for studying herpes simplex virus 1 infection and its inhibition by antivirals.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) establishes life-long latency in peripheral neurons, where productive replication is suppressed. To study the specific relationship between the virus and peripheral neurons that would not be affected by other cells usually present in in vivo systems, we present an in vitro model system based on primary cultures of murine neurons. This model system can be used for characterization of various virus strains and testing of cytotoxicity and inhibitory activity of acyclovir (ACV), cidofovir (CDV) and other antivirals.