Oral-oesophageal inoculation of mice with herpes simplex virus type 1 causes latent infection of the vagal sensory ganglia (nodose ganglia).
Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) gingivostomatitis during childhood is known to result in a latent infection of the trigeminal ganglion neurons, which innervate the oral mucosa. During latency the viral genome is maintained in a non-infectious state. However, stimuli such as stress, fever or localized trauma can cause HSV-1 to reactivate in neurons and produce recrudescent disease in the peripheral tissues. Recently, HSV-1 proteins and nucleic acids have been detected in biopsies from human duodenal and gastric ulcers, raising the possibility that HSV-1 latency within the enteric nervous system is involved in this chronic recurrent gastrointestinal disorder. The studies in mice described here were done to determine whether HSV-1 latency could be established in neurons that innervate the murine gut. We found that after either intraperitoneal or oral-oesophageal inoculation of mice, HSV-1 establishes a latent infection in nodose ganglia of the vagus nerve, whose sensory neurons project to the gastrointestinal tract. This animal model of HSV-1 latency in the vagal sensory ganglia will be useful to examine the possible relationship between HSV-1 and recurrent gastrointestinal disease.
Gesser
R M
RM
Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104.
Valyi-Nagy
T
T
Altschuler
S M
SM
Fraser
N W
NW
D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D003643:Death; D004947:Esophagus; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009055:Mouth; D009620:Nodose Ganglion / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis
D014764:Viral Proteins