title: DNA immunization against experimental genital herpes simplex virus infection.
abstract: A nucleic acid vaccine, expressing the gene encoding herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 glycoprotein D (gD2) under control of the cytomegalovirus immediate-early gene promoter, was used to immunize guinea pigs against genital HSV-2 infection. The vaccine elicited humoral immune responses comparable to those seen after HSV-2 infection. Immunized animals exhibited protection from primary genital HSV-2 disease with little or no development of vesicular skin lesions and significantly reduced HSV-2 replication in the genital tract. After recovery from primary infection, immunized guinea pigs experienced significantly fewer recurrences and had significantly less HSV-2 genomic DNA detected in the sacral dorsal root ganglia compared with control animals. Thus, immunization reduced the burden of latent infection resulting from intravaginal HSV-2 challenge, and a nucleic acid vaccine expressing the HSV-2 gD2 antigen protected guinea pigs against genital herpes, limiting primary infection and reducing the magnitude of latent infection and the frequency of recurrent disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bourne
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Stanberry
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lew
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000382:microbiology; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000235:genetics*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; C040570:glycoprotein D-herpes simplex virus type 2