Ménière's disease and antibody reactivity to herpes simplex virus type 1 polypeptides.
OBJECTIVE
It has been reported that the inner ear is capable of responding to antigen challenge. In this study, we have investigated the antibody reactivity to herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) proteins in sera from patients with Ménière's disease.


METHODS
Serum from 21 patients scheduled to undergo endolymphatic sac decompression for Ménière's disease was obtained. The sera from 21 age- and sex-matched individuals without a history of ear disease served as the control. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect antibodies to HSV-1, HSV-2 cytomegalovirus (CMV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and measles virus. Immunoblotting was used to confirm and further evaluate the HSV-1 antibody response.


RESULTS
All but one patient had antibodies to HSV-1. ELISA mean log titers were significantly lower in the patient group to CMV and VZV when compared with controls. A pattern of generally higher antibody reactivity in patients with Ménière's disease was demonstrated to the individual SDS-PAGE HSV-1 polypeptides as judged by immunoblotting.


CONCLUSIONS
The HSV-1 antibody response found in patients with Ménière's disease may indicate viral reactivation and denotes the importance of further studies on the role of infectious agents in this disease.
Bergström
T
T
Department of Clinical Virology, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrens Hospital, Sweden.
Edström
S
S
Tjellström
A
A
Vahlne
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D008459:Measles virus / Q000276:immunology; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins