Restriction endonuclease cleavage analysis of herpes simplex virus isolates obtained from three pairs of siblings.

Cleavage of herpes simplex virus type 1-infected cell DNA with restriction endonucleases showed that profiles of paired isolates obtained from three groups of siblings were essentially identical. This finding is different from that for profiles of other paired isolates that are epidemiologically unrelated. One set of paired isolates of the three had completely identical profiles. However, two other sets of paired isolates yielded minor heterogeneity in fragments derived from the regions spanning the unique repeat junction and repeated regions of the herpes simplex virus type 1 genome. This suggests that the regions of the herpes simplex virus genome are variable during viral DNA replication. This finding also supports the hypothesis that the same variants tend to be transmitted and thereafter perpetuate within a family cluster.