Cytopathic effect inhibition assay for determining the in-vitro susceptibility of herpes simplex virus to antiviral agents

Abstract

We compare a rapid dilution method for the determination of antiviral susceptibility of herpes simplex virus (HSV) with the plaque reduction assay. A total of 84 HSV clinical isolates were studied by both methods to detect in-vitro resistance to acyclovir and foscarnet. The rapid method showed for the detection of HSV isolates resistant to acyclovir and foscarnet, a sensitivity of 96.8% and 100% and specificity of 100% and 100%, respectively. This method provides an easy and accurate screening procedure for the susceptibility testing of HSV to antiviral agents.