Comparison of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 DNA Replication and Virus Production in Murine Bone Marrow-derived and Resident Peritoneal Macrophages

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Pennsylvania, 3300 Henry Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129, U.S.A. The mechanism of resistance of murine macrophages (Mø) to infection by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) was examined. Infection of bone marrow-derived Mø (BMDMø) and resident peritoneal Mø (Res-Mø) was compared with infection of permissive Vero cells. In contrast to HSV-1 infection in Vero cells, no infectious virus was produced from either Mø cell type. However, marked cytopathic effect (c.p.e.) was evident in BMDMø at 48 h post-infection, while there was no c.p.e. at any time post-infection in the Res-Mø. Cloned Eco RI subgenomic fragments representing the entire HSV-1 genome were used as probes in DNA:DNA hybridization experiments to determine the viral genome content in the infected cell types. In Res-Mø, HSV-1 DNA was present at early times post-infection but declined rapidly. In BMDMø, the virus genome was always detected and increased with time after infection. The results suggest that Res-Mø restrict HSV-1 production at a point prior to viral DNA synthesis, whereas the block in HSV production in BMDMø occurs at a later stage in the viral replicative cycle. Keywords: HSV-1 DNA, hybridization, macrophage permissiveness Present address: Department of Microbiology, University of California, Irvine, California 92717, U.S.A. Received 30 August 1984; accepted 31 December 1984.