title: Developments in herpes simplex virus vaccines: old problems and new challenges.
abstract: Vaccination has remained the best method for preventing virus spread. The herpes simplex virus (HSV) candidate vaccines tested till now were mostly purified subunit vaccines and/or recombinant envelope glycoproteins (such as gB and gD). In many experiments performed in mice, guinea pigs and rabbits, clear-cut protection against acute virus challenge was demonstrated along with the reduction of the extent of latency, when established in the immunized host. The immunotherapeutic effect of herpes vaccines seems less convincing. However, introduction of new adjuvants, which shift the cytokine production of helper T-cells toward stimulation of cytotoxic T-cells (TH1 type cytokine response), reveals a promising development. Mathematical analysis proved that overall prophylactic vaccination of seronegative women, even when eliciting 40-60 % antibody response only, would reduce the frequency of genital herpes within the vaccinated population. Even when partially effective, immunotherapeutic vaccination might represent a suitable alternative of chronic chemotherapy in recurrent labial and genital herpes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rajcáni
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Durmanová
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022301:Herpes Simplex Virus Vaccines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011817:Rabbits; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D022301:Herpes Simplex Virus Vaccines; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic