Herpes simplex virus antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenic patients.

Abstract

Antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) were tested in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 262 schizophrenic patients by virus neutralization test (VNT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). While VNT in the presence of complement revealed antibodies to HSV-1 in 18.3% of samples, ELISA was positive in 61.2% of cases; both tests were positive in 42 samples (16%).