Survey of resistance of herpes simplex virus to acyclovir in northwest England.
Acyclovir (ACV) has been used for more than 15 years in the management of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) disease. The present survey was undertaken to assess the level of ACV resistance in the population. More than 2,000 HSV isolates from both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients in northwest England were collected over a 2-year period and tested for sensitivity to ACV. These studies suggested a prevalence of resistance of approximately 0.1 to 0.6% in immunocompetent individuals, with no apparent difference in prevalence between treated and untreated groups. In line with previous studies, the prevalence of resistance in treated immunocompromised individuals was approximately 6%.
Christophers
J
J
Manchester Public Health Laboratory, Withington Hospital, United Kingdom.
Clayton
J
J
Craske
J
J
Ward
R
R
Collins
P
P
Trowbridge
M
M
Darby
G
G
D000212:Acyclovir / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001345:Autoradiography; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D010641:Phenotype; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000187:drug effects*; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D000212:Acyclovir