A molecular study of ocular herpes simplex infection in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Part I: Cleavage pattern analysis.

In order to investigate the relationship between genotypes of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and its clinical pictures in herpes simplex virus keratoconjunctivitis (HSK), fifty nine strains of HSV isolates, collected in the Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital during January 1981 to July 1991, and F strain (ATCC VR-73), a standard HSV-1, were studied. The viruses were isolated from HSK patients. All 59 strains were identified as HSV-1 using immunofluorescence monoclonal antibody method. The HSV DNAs were extracted and digested by restriction enzymes, BamH I, Kpn I and Sal I, followed by electrophoresis, and photographing. Six kinds of DNA cleavage patterns were found in Taiwan. The majority were E subtype (56.4%) then A subtype (27.3%), D subtype (7.3%), F subtype (5.4%), G subtype (1.8%) and H subtype (1.8%). Subtypes B and C were not found in this study. The cleavage patterns of two recurrent cases belonged to E and A subtypes. The identical cleavage patterns of two bilateral infections all belonged to the E subtype.