Immunity in the female genital tract after intravaginal vaccination of mice with an attenuated strain of herpes simplex virus type 2.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 is a common human venereal pathogen which causes lethal neurological illness after intravaginal inoculation into BALB/cJ mice. To investigate whether an attenuated, nonlethal strain of this virus would confer immunity after inoculation of mice, we constructed a strain containing a partial deletion of the thymidine kinase gene, which is necessary for viral replication and spread in sensory ganglia. Unlike its wild-type counterpart, this deletion-containing strain of herpes simplex virus type 2 caused mild clinical disease and was not lethal when studied in an age-dependent murine model of intravaginal infection. Furthermore, after intravaginal infection, the deletion-containing strain could not be isolated from sensory ganglia at a time when wild-type virus was abundant. Of greater significance, intravaginal inoculation with the deletion-containing strain rendered mice completely resistant to rechallenge with a 10-fold 50% lethal dose of wild-type virus. These results suggest that a strain of herpes simplex virus type 2 containing a deletion of the thymidine kinase gene will be useful in studying the cellular basis of mucosal immunity in the genital tract.
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000276:immunology*; D007110:Immunity, Active; D007668:Kidney; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010957:Plasmids; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D014621:Vagina / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*
D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated; D013937:Thymidine Kinase