Detection of latent thymidine kinase-deficient herpes simplex virus in trigeminal ganglia of mice using the polymerase chain reaction.

Latency of thymidine kinase-negative mutants of herpes simplex virus (TK- HSV) could not be detected by reactivating the virus from the ganglia of infected mice. Because Southern blot hybridization was not sensitive enough to detect viral DNA, positive results obtained by dot blot hybridization were ascertained by the highly specific and sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which detected both latent TK- HSV type 1 and 2 DNA from the trigeminal ganglia of infected mice.