Abstract

PIP: Herpes-simplex virus 1 (HSV1) and 2 can cause recurrent infection in man and in nonhuman species localized on a specific area of the body, such as face, cornea, or genitals. The origin of the virus responsible for a recurrent infection is not usually apparent. Some possible sources of virus can be exogenous infection, endogenous infection from another site of the body, chronic, continuous viral multiplication around the site of involvement, and persistence of the virus at the site of the recurrent infection. No definite information is yet available regarding the mechanism by which HSV1 or HSV2 persists and it is triggered to multiply, or regarding the cells that harbor the virus. It is possible that frequent or constant antigenic stimulation occurs in at least some cases of recurrent herpetic infections. The role of antibodies and of interferon in host resistance to HSV remains to be elucidated. Several recent studies have shown the association of more than a dozen herpes viruses with cancer in man and various animals; for example with limphoma, and with squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and cancer of the cervix. Genital HSV infections and cervical cancer were first linked when it was noted that women with genital herpes had a high frequency of cervical dysplasia and cancer. The results of new seroepidemiologic studies on this subject are still difficult to evaluate. Inocculation of HSV2 in laboratory animals has resulted in sarcomas, but it has never been possible to prove that the virus caused the tumors, since no HSV antigens could be detected in the tumors. However, herpesvirus antigens have been demonstrated by immunofluorescent technics in exfoliated cervical cells obtained from women with dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, and invasive carcinoma. In the absence of other kinds of data, it is difficult to rule out the possibility that the presence of HSV2 or of antigens is not an independent event unrelated to the cancer.