Herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 in the adrenal glands: Replication and histopathology

Abstract

The adrenal glands were shown to be the most severely infected organs in the early phase of HSV-1 infections (up to 10 days p.i.) after i.p. infections in mice. Virus could be isolated from the adrenal glands as early as one hour after infection with pathogenic and apathogenic strains. Infection of the adrenal glands is a result of viremia. The content of HSV-1 (5 strains) was much higher in the adrenals than in spleen and liver. It peaked at 3-4 days p.i. compared to 1-2 days in spleen and liver. Only strain 17 syn+ produced low tissue titres in the adrenal glands. Morphologic alterations by HSV-1 infections commenced with distinct foci 2 days after infection in the zona fasciculata, detected immunohistochemically by HSV-specific peroxidase-staining. Necrotic cells could be observed. The foci became confluent until day 4 and remained in this status up to day 7 p.i. During infection immunocompetent cells (macrophages, granulocytes, many T-helper--but only few T-cytotoxic/suppressor lymphocytes) could be observed. On day 10 p.i. the viral antigen had been completely eliminated. In contrast, intraperitoneal infections with 5 strains of HSV-2 resulted in infection of the adrenal glands only to a low degree. The titer of virus was low (exception: strain HG 52). This correlates well with the type of disease produced by either HSV-1 or 2. By comparing the replication of different strains of HSV-1 and 2, three types of "tropism" after i.p. infection of mice can be distinguished.

Herpes Simplex Virus Binds to Human Serum Lipoprotein

“…Our data offer a satisfactory explanation to the mechanism underlying the well-docu mented enrichment of HSV type 1 in liver and adrenals during generalized HSV in fection [8][9][10][11][12][13], since this tissue distribution coincides with that of LDL(B/E) receptors [10,18,33].…”

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection via the Bloodstream with Apolipoprotein E Dependence in the Gonads Is Influenced by Gender

“…infection of mice, HSV-1 spreads by means of viremia to many of the visceral organs, the ovaries and the adrenal glands becoming the major replication sites (29). High levels of HSV-1 have been detected in the adrenal glands after inoculation by different routes and with different viral strains (5,17,26,30). In these studies, the virus was detected mainly in the adrenal cortex, the immunoreaction generally being restricted to the zona fasciculata and the zona reticularis (17,26).…”

“…Necrotic lesions in the adrenal glands have been detected following disseminated HSV-1 infection in children (2,15), and in mice, the adrenal glands are the organs most severely infected after intranasal, intravenous, or i.p. inoculation with HSV-1 (17,26,30). Ovaries are derived from the embryonic mesoderm, as is the adrenal cortex; they are therefore similar targets for the virus.…”

“…Although the main route for HSV-1 infection in humans is certainly neural, hematogenous infection could be important in some contexts. In fact, inoculation into the bloodstream has been used consistently in animal models for the study of HSV-1 pathogenesis (17,24,30,37). It is accepted that intraperitoneal (i.p.)…”

Increased Susceptibility of Herpes simplex Virus-1 Growth in Phytohemagglutinin-Activated T Lymphocytes Caused by Upregulation of Herpesvirus Entry Mediator A mRNA Expression

“…The difference in the efficiency of both HSV-1 and HSV-2 growth in certain cell types has been previously reported, suggesting that each serotype has its own unique replication pattern [10,17,21,22]. Permissive cells are cells that contain the specific viral receptors and proper functional host machinery to support viral growth.…”