Co-cultivation versus blot hybridization for the detection of trigeminal ganglionic latency following corneal inoculation with HSV-1 strains of varying TK expression and pathogenicity.

The sensitivity of two methods for the detection of latent trigeminal ganglionic (TG) infections were compared: (1) co-cultivation which detects infectious virions, and (2) blot hybridization which detects HSV-1 DNA sequences. Adult New Zealand rabbits were inoculated following corneal scarification with three strains of HSV-1 which differed in their thymidine kinase expression, and in their ability to invade the CNS and establish latency. When a large volume load of latent TG virus was expected (NIH TK+ strain), co-cultivation and blot hybridization were equally effective in detecting latent virus. However, when a small volume load of latent virus was expected (NIH TK+/-, NIH TK-), co-cultivation with its inherent amplification proved superior to blot hybridization for the detection of latent virus.