Clinical study of herpes simplex virus infection in leukemia.

Twenty-nine patients with leukemia were observed for the development of and recovery from oral herpes simplex virus (HSV) lesions. In patients with seropositive test results, lymphocyte and monocyte counts may provide a guide to predict the onset of HSV infections and to indicate when to institute acyclovir prophylaxis. When HSV developed, acyclovir was effective in preventing progression of the lesions, which did not resolve until white cell counts had recovered.