Vaccine induced HSV 1 antibodies fail to correlate with protection against HSV 2 in guinea pigs

Abstract

Guinea pigs immunised with HSV 1 subunit vaccine were bled, and subsequently challenged intravaginally with HSV 2. The clinical response to virus challenge was quantified, and correlations were sought between clinical score and virus‐specific serum antibody titre in functional and binding assays (ELISA, neutralization, complement‐mediated cytotoxicity and antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity). No significant relationships were found, and it was concluded that reactivity in the serological assays chosen did not correlate with protection against HSV 2 genital infection in vaccinated female guinea pigs.