Virology Laboratory Core

Rhoda Ashley Morrow , PhD

The Virology Laboratory Core provides support for the projects in the program project Clinical Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Asymptomatic HSV by performing virus isolation and antigen detection assays for identification of HSV infection. The Virology Laboratory Core is also actively involved in research and development of novel, sensitive and specific serologic tests for HSV-1 and -2.

The Core Laboratory supports the study HSV Infection in HIV-Infected Individuals with Western immunoblot assays for detection of HSV type-specific antibodies. For the study Prevention of HSV Morbidity in Pregnancy and in Newborns the Core Laboratory performs virus isolations from specimens collected during pregnancy and at delivery. HSV type-specific Western immunoblot analyses are provided for prenatal and delivery serologies and to identify women seroconverting to HSV during pregnancy. In the study Clinical and Mucosal Interactions Between HSV and HIV Infection the Core Laboratory performs virus isolation from specimens collected at clinic visits and from home samples. Western immunoblot blot analyses for HSV type-specific antibodies are also used in support of this study.

The laboratory functions for HSV are centralized at a single location at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center along with viral isolate and serum banks and the computer databases .

Report courtesy of Anna Marie Beckmann

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Recent Publications

Ashley RL.  Sorting out the new HSV type specific antibody tests.  Sex Transm Inf 2001:77:232-237.

Ashley RL.  Performance and use of HSV type specific serology test kits.  Herpes 2002;9:38-45.

Leach CT, Ashley R, Baillargeion J, Jenson HB.  Performance of two commercial glycoprotein G-based enzyme immunoassays for detecting antibodies to herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 in children and young adolescents.  Clin Diag Lab Immunol 2002;9:1124-1125.

Hogrefe W, Su X, Soung J, Ashley R, Kong L.  Detection of herpes simplex virus-2 immunoglobulin G antibodies in African sera by using recombinant gG2, Western blotting, and gG2 inhibition.  J Clin Microbiol 2002;40:3635-3640.

Wald A, Ashley-Morrow R.  Serological testing for herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 and HSV-2 infection.  Clin Infect Dis 2002;35 (Suppl 2):S173-182.

Brown ZA, Corey L, Ashley R, Zeh J, Selke S, Wald A.  Effect of viral shedding, serologic status and abdominal deliveries on transmission rates of HSV from mother to infant.  JAMA 2003;289:203-209.

Cherpes TL, Ashley RL, Meyn LA, Hillier SL.  Longitudinal reliability of Focus glycoprotein G-based type-specific enzyme immunoassays for detection of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in women.  J. Clin Microbiol 2003; 41:671-674.

Ashley RL, Krantz E, Wald A.  Time course of seroconversion by HerpeSelect® ELISA after acquisition of genital herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or HSV-2.  Sex Trans Dis 2003; 187: 1246-1256.

Morrow RA, Friedrich D, Krantz E, Wald A.   Development and use of a type-specific antibody avidity test based on herpes simplex virus type 2 glycoprotein G.   Sex Trans Dis 2004; 31(8):508-15./p>