Excretion of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 into Saliva in Patient with Zoster of Trigeminal Nerve

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) was isolated from the saliva of 7 patients with zoster of the trigeminal nerve to determine the possibility of simultaneous reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV) and HSV.
Saliva specimens for inoculation were collected from the floor of the oral cavity, and the virus was isolated using human embryonic lung (HEL) cells. The saliva specimens were collected daily from inpatients during hospitalization, as well as when these patients visited our hospital for follow-up. HSV was isolated in five of the seven patients. The viruses were isolated only at the time of initial examination in four, but in one patient the virus was isolated several times during hospitalization.
A lesion of type HSV-1 was found to coexist with HSV in one of the five patients.
In two patients, HSV was not isolated though one ramus was found to be morbid.
These results suggest that simultaneous reactivation of type HSV-1 is very common in patients suffering from zoster of the trigeminal nerve.