Type-specific antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein G in pregnant women, infants exposed to maternal HSV-2 infection at delivery, and infants with neonatal herpes.
We used a murine monoclonal antibody to herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein G (gG) to develop an enzyme immunoassay that detected HSV-2 type-specific antibodies in human sera. Antibodies to HSV-2 gG were detected in 98 (96%) of 102 sera from pregnant women with culture-proved HSV-2 infection. Sixty-five percent of the women had serological evidence of past HSV-2 infection by the Rawls index, based on titers of neutralizing antibody to HSV type 1 and HSV-2. Thirty (88%) of 34 infants exposed to maternal HSV infection at delivery had antibodies to HSV-2 gG and remained well. One infant exposed to primary maternal HSV-2 infection lacked antibodies to HSV-2 gG and developed neonatal HSV-2 infection. The mean +/- SD optical density by HSV-2 gG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for sera obtained from 17 infants within one week after onset of neonatal HSV-2 infection was 0.25 +/- 0.12, compared with 1.15 +/- 0.34 in cord blood sera from exposed infants who did not develop symptoms (P less than .0001 by t test).
Sullender
W M
WM
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305.
Yasukawa
L L
LL
Schwartz
M
M
Pereira
L
L
Hensleigh
P A
PA
Prober
C G
CG
Arvin
A M
AM
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007122:Immunoelectrophoresis; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000276:immunology*; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000276:immunology*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C045464:glycoprotein G, herpes simplex virus type 2