[Production of J-96 cell culture chronically infected with herpes simplex virus and study of some of its properties].

Comparative effectiveness of various methods for production of chronic infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) in J-96 cell culture: inclusion into the culture fluid of the infected cultures of immune serum to herpes virus, immune serum to HSV-infected J-96 cells and frequent changes of the medium, is described. The advantage of the second method has been found. The chronically infected culture was resistant to superinfection with the homologous virus. In passages, when the chronically infected culture produced no active infectious virus, the portion of cells containing the virus antigen was 0.8%. In this culture interferon was found in a low titer. Morphological and histochemical studies also indicated some changes in chronically infected cultures as compared with the controls, namely, an increase in the number of spindle-shaped elements, thickening of the nuclear membrane, an increase in the DNA concentration. The culture has been designated JH and is in the 220th passage now.