Abstract
To increase the reliability of the skin test of herpes simplex virus, procedures in the preparation of soluble antigen from virus-infected chorioallantoic membrane of hen eggs were standardized. The product was stored in a lyophilized state for less than three months before tests, and the antigen after reconstitution was used at a constant concentraion in terms of units of complement-fixing antigen, i. e. 2 units per 0.1ml. A total of 220 individuals, who were normal healthy persons or patients with nonherpetic diseases, were tested with the antigen and simultaneously bled for the purpose of serological tests. A good correlation was found between the result of the skin test, which was determined by the size of erythema read 2 days following inoculation, and the titer of complement-fixing antibody, with the exception of a minority of the persons whose skin reaction to the above antigen was obscured by appearance of nonspecific reaction. Neutralizing antibody titers also paralleled the results of the above two tests.
