Herpes simplex virus glycoprotein treatment of recurrent genital herpes.

We investigated the possibility that herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoproteins might provide potential immunotherapy for recurrent HSV disease by using the guinea pig model of genital HSV infection. In two experiments, after recovery from initial genital herpes, 58 animals were randomized either to receive a glycoprotein vaccine or to serve as controls. Both a mixture of HSV-2 glycoproteins derived from infected tissue cultures and a mixture of HSV-1 glycoproteins B and D, prepared by genetic engineering in mammalian cells, reduced the frequency (P less than .05) and severity (P less than .05) of subsequent herpetic recurrences. We conclude that recurrences of established herpesvirus disease may be altered by administering immunogenic viral proteins; thus, HSV glycoproteins may be useful as immunotherapeutic agents for controlling recurrent HSV infection in humans.