title: The effects of acyclovir on antibody response to herpes simplex virus in primary genital herpetic infections.
abstract: The humoral response to herpes simplex virus (HSV) was examined in 21 patients with primary HSV infection who were participating in a placebo-controlled trial of oral acyclovir as therapy for first-episode genital herpes. A standard microneutralization assay and a western blot analysis, which detects the antibody response to individual polypeptides of HSV types 1 and 2, were used. Placebo-treated, HSV type-2-infected patients typically responded to HSV type-2 polypeptides that had molecular masses of 125, 84, 68, 59, 46, and 40 kilodaltons. Treatment with acyclovir diminished the humoral response both to HSV, as measured by the type-specific neutralizing-antibody titer, and to specific polypeptides, especially those with molecular masses of 50-100 kilodaltons, a range that includes polypeptides with molecular masses corresponding to those of glycoproteins D and E of HSV.
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006023:Glycoproteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D000212:Acyclovir