The nested PCR-Southern blot method was established as a method of high sensitivity detecting of the Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1). The detection sensitivity which was 1-10pg/μl using the one step PCR method was able to increase even to 1×10-8pg/μl using the nested PCR-Southern blot method. It is expected that HSV-1 positive findings will be revealed to a greater extent than that of past reports.
The author examined whether not detected DNA of HSV-1 by the one step PCR method was found in saliva using the nested PCR-Southern blot method.
Saliva as the sample was collected from 6 children aged 2 to 11 years who suffered from herpetic gingivostomatitis and 7 children aged 5 to 10 years who were healthy without any manifested herpetic disease or other infectious diseases. All of the DNA was extracted from the saliva by NaI method, and the DNA of HSV-1 was amplified using the one step PCR method and the nested PCR-Southern blot method.
Above of all, it was suggested that the nested PCR-Southern blot method was useful for diagnosing the latent infection of HSV-1.