Comparison of effects of adjuvants on efficacy of virion envelope herpes simplex virus vaccine against labial infection of BALB/c mice

A subunit virion envelope vaccine of herpes simplex virus type 1 was evaluated for its ability to protect labially infected mice from development of the primary herpetic lesion, encephalitic death, and latent virus infection in the trigeminal ganglion. Several adjuvants, including aluminum hydroxide and polyriboinosinic acid-polyribocytidylic acid complexed with poly-L-lysine and carboxymethyl cellulose were investigated for their ability to enhance protection of the subunit vaccine and were compared in effectiveness with complete Freund adjuvant. The subunit vaccine was demonstrated to be immunogenic, as shown by development of antibody detectable by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The humoral immune response was correlated with protection from herpetic encephalitis and, at a lower degree, with prevention of the appearance of primary herpetic lesions and acceleration of lesion resolution. The efficacy of the vaccine was most apparent in protecting mice from encephalitic death. To reduce or prevent the development of latent infection was most difficult, but was achieved with some vaccine regimens. Repeated administrations of vaccine with adjuvant were required for this protection. The most effective adjuvant was complete Freund adjuvant, but several synthetic adjuvants were effective, particularly aluminum hydroxide and the polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid-poly-L-lysine-carboxymethyl cellulose immunoadjuvant.