Herpes simplex virus and human cancer. III. Search for relationship of herpes simplex antibodies and cervical dysplasia and labial neoplasia.

We employed the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect hemagglutination (IHA), and complement fixation (CF) methods to measure antibody titer to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) in patients affected by labial tumors or cervical dysplasias. No relationship of antibody titer to HSV-1 and labial tumors was detected by any of the three methods. Association between antibody titer to HSV-2 and cervical dysplasias was revealed by IHA (p less than 0.05) and ELISA (p less than 0.001); CF tests were negative. Moreover, we assayed for HSV-specific antigens in cell cultures derived from labial tumors and cervical dysplasias. In cultures from labial tumors, it was not possible to detect HSV-specific antigens. Of the 25 cultures derived from cervical dysplasias, HSV antigens were found in only 3 cultures.