The development of an improved murine iontophoresis reactivation model for the study of HSV-1 latency.

The present study reviews the development of an effective murine iontophoresis reactivation model for the study of HSV-1 latency. In a series of experiments, Balb C mice latently infected with HSV-1 McKrae strain were iontophoresed with epinephrine X 3 days (EPI X 3/ION) or 6-hydroxydopamine X 1 day followed by topical epinephrine (6-HD ION/EPI). Reactivation and recovery of latent HSV-1 was determined by daily ocular swabs, titration, and neutralization. Additional studies determined the effect of topical ocular steroids on viral recovery rate. The results demonstrated no recovery of McKrae strain in Balb C (0%) with EPI X 3/ION, and no enhancement with topical steroids. 6-HD ION/EPI demonstrated a low recovery rate in mice (8%). However, the recovery rate was significantly increased to 50% by the addition of topical steroids to form the 6-HD ION/EPI/STEROID model, a useful experimental tool. The substitution of a clinical isolate, W strain, for McKrae strain further improved the model. The results demonstrated that, following the acute infection in mice, W strain was associated with a significantly higher (P = .001) survival rate than McKrae strain (81% vs. 52%). There was no statistically significant difference between the two strains, W vs McKrae, in Balb C mice comparing keratitis, establishment of latency (by co-cultivation), spontaneous shedding rate, or induced ocular shedding following iontophoresis. The development of an effective murine iontophoresis model offers an economical method which is uniquely suited for immunological and genetic studies of HSV-1 latency.