Effect of interferon on systemic herpesvirus infections.

The studies reviewed here are encouraging in that HSV is moderately sensitive to the action of interferon and that infections in experimental animals clearly may be altered by exogenous interferon and interferon inducers. On the other hand it is apparent that the potential of this approach to treatment of herpesvirus infections is limited by the levels of interferon that can be passively administered or induced, the development of hyporeactivity which prevents maintaining high levels of interferon in infected animals after inoculation of inducers, and the failure to alter the course of HSV infection once the virus is established in target organs.