Immune responses in mice against herpes simplex virus: mechanisms of protection against facial and ganglionic infections.

We performed experiments with mice to determine the nature of the immune response(s) that prevents primary infections of the skin and the trigeminal ganglia with herpes simplex virus. Immunization with infectious herpes simplex virus, inactivated virus, or material enriched for viral glycoproteins protected hairless mice against primary facial and ganglionic infections. Live and inactivated viruses induced neutralizing antibodies, whereas glycoprotein material did not. Instead, glycoprotein material induced antibodies that were largely directed against two glycopolypeptides with molecular weights of 120,000 to 130,000. Hairless mice immunized with glycoprotein material responded faster than control mice in the synthesis of neutralizing antibodies after challenge with infectious virus. Congenital athymic BALB/c (nu/nu) mice were protected against primary facial infections after immunization with glycoprotein material, but glycoprotein-specific antibodies were not induced.