Herpes Simplex Meningitis: Isolation of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 from Cerebrospinal Fluid

Abstract

HERPES simplex virus (HSV) has been implicated as an etiologic agent of both encephalitis and meningitis. Although it is rarely recovered from the cerebrospinal fluid, the frequent isolation of HSV from brain tissue has established this virus as an important cause of acute necrotizing encephalitis.1 In contrast, its association with "aseptic" meningitis is based primarily on clinical observations2 3 4 5 and serologic data,6 7 8 and has only rarely been substantiated by direct isolation of virus from the central nervous system.9 10 11 12 13 14 Isolates of HSV may be divided into two subtypes, HSV-1 and HSV-2, that differ in biologic properties and epidemiologic patterns.15 HSV-1 is the . . .