Ménière's disease and antibody reactivity to herpes simplex virus type 1 polypeptides.

PURPOSE

It has been reported that the inner ear is capable of responding to antigen challenge. In this study, we have investigated the antibody reactivity to herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) proteins in sera from patients with Ménière's disease.

PATIENTS AND MATERIALS

Serum from 21 patients scheduled to undergo endolymphatic sac decompression for Ménière's disease was obtained. The sera from 21 age- and sex-matched individuals without a history of ear disease served as the control. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect antibodies to HSV-1, HSV-2 cytomegalovirus (CMV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and measles virus. Immunoblotting was used to confirm and further evaluate the HSV-1 antibody response.

RESULTS

All but one patient had antibodies to HSV-1. ELISA mean log titers were significantly lower in the patient group to CMV and VZV when compared with controls. A pattern of generally higher antibody reactivity in patients with Ménière's disease was demonstrated to the individual SDS-PAGE HSV-1 polypeptides as judged by immunoblotting.

CONCLUSION

The HSV-1 antibody response found in patients with Ménière's disease may indicate viral reactivation and denotes the importance of further studies on the role of infectious agents in this disease.