Virus Isolation and Animal Susceptibility - Herpes Simplex Virus

Virus Isolation and Animal Susceptibility

◗ Chick embryo

The virus grows on the chorioallantoic membrane of the embryonated egg and produces small, white, shining, non-necrotic pocks measuring less than 0.5 mm in diameter. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 show cross-reaction.

◗ Cell culture

Herpes simplex virus grows in a variety of primary and contin-uous cell lines. The viruses grow readily on HeLa cells, Hep-2 cells, human embryonic fibroblasts, and rabbit kidney cells.

      A cell line that expresses beta galactosidase after infection with HSV is a new approach for isolation and identification of the virus in the cell lines. Addition of a chromotropic substrate allows the detection of enzymes in the infected cell.