Fig. 5.
Protection of immunodeficient mice against dissemination of established HSV-1 infection by systemic treatment with mAb hu2c. NOD/SCID mice intravaginally infected with either (A) a laboratory HSV-1 strain (F), or (B) a multidrug-resistant clinical HSV-1 isolate (ACVR/CDVR/PFVR) were treated with antibodies i.v. 24 h, 40 h, and 56 h after infection at 15 mg/kg (n =8). Control groups received either (A and B) PBS (n = 7) or (B) ACV at 50 mg/kg every 12 h i.p. (n = 9). In contrast to the control groups, antibody-treated mice with established HSV-1 infections exhibited complete virus clearance from vaginal mucosa by day 8 independent of the viral drug resistance pattern (A and B, Upper) and were significantly protected from death (***P < 0.0001, log–rank test) (A and B, Lower). In mice infected with the multiresistant HSV-1 isolate ACV treatment had only minor effect on the virus load in the vaginal mucosa and could only delay the lethal outcome of the infection (***P = 0.0008, log–rank test) (B). Error bars represent SEM.