Class-Specific Antibody Response in Acyclovir-Treated and Adenine Arabinoside-Treated Patients with Primary Genital Herpes Simplex Virus Infection

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) class-specific antibody responses after primary genital herpes infection were evaluated with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 16 patients treated with acyclovir (ACV), given orally, and 17 patients treated with adenine arabinoside (Ara-A), given topically. ACV significantly suppressed the levels of IgM, IgA, and IgG. In the ACV-treated patients, IgM and IgG were not detected in 4 of the 16 and in 1 of the 16 patients, respectively. We must take into account this suppressive effect of ACV on antibody responses, especially on the IgM response, when serodiagnosis of HSV infection is made.