Protein-Specific Cervical Antibody Responses to Primary Genital Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infections

Abstract

Antibodies to herpes simplex virus (HSV) have been demonstrated in cervicovaginal secretions but have not been analyzed for their viral protein targets, prevalence, isotype, or kinetics of development. A method was devised to collect cervical secretions from women with primary genital HSV-2. By Western blot, cervical IgG and IgA responses to HSV-2 proteins VP5, gB, and gD were detected in most patients within 2 weeks of onset and to gC/gE within 3 weeks. Cervical IgA and IgG responses to gG, VPI6, and ICP35 developed later and were more variable. Cervical IgM to most proteins appeared within 6–10 days. Cervical IgA and IgG persisted for weeks, but cervical IgM waned. Western blot profiles of serum IgG and cervical IgG to individual HSV-2 proteins were similar; those of serum IgA and cervical IgA differed. These findings suggest a universal, complex immune response to HSV-2 infection in the female genital tract.