title: Use of the polymerase chain reaction to detect herpes simplex virus DNA in paraffin sections of human brain at necropsy.
abstract: The feasibility of detecting herpesvirus DNA in paraffin sections of routinely fixed and processed human necropsy brains by use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was assessed. A 110 bp segment of the thymidine kinase gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) could readily be amplified in sections from the brains of six patients with acute HSV1 encephalitis but not from those of six patients with other neurological diseases, including varicella-zoster encephalitis and herpes simplex virus type 2 encephalitis. Primers suitable for amplifying c-myc were included in the PCRs for assessment of DNA preservation. This was found to be adequate to allow amplification of c-myc DNA in sections from all of the brains studied. The PCR provides a simple and specific means of detecting HSV1 DNA in routinely processed necropsy material.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nicoll
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Maitland
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Love
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000032:analysis; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc