Drug-resistant herpes simplex virus in vitro and after acyclovir treatment in an immunocompromised patient.
An acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been isolated from an immunocompromised patient during treatment for severe orofacial HSV infections with acyclovir. The resistant virus is deficient in expression of the HSV thymidine kinase (TK). Emergence of acyclovir resistance during clinical use appears to parallel the in vitro observations of selection for TK-deficient, acyclovir-resistant viruses following serial passage in the presence of the drug. The clinical importance of drug-resistant HSV in unclear, and further investigations are required to determine whether it will be an impediment to successful therapy of HSV infections.
D000212:Acyclovir; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006147:Guanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008297:Male; D010746:Phosphonoacetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006147:Guanine; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D010746:Phosphonoacetic Acid; D000212:Acyclovir