[Mechanism of action of inactivated herpes vaccine in rabbits with chronic herpetic infections].

Chronic herpes infection has been reproduced in rabbits in which the mechanism of the effect of inactivated herpes vaccine was studied. Vaccination did not affect the level of humoral antibody in chronically infected animals and did not enhance the capacity of their leucocytes for interferon production in vitro. A course of vaccination enhanced cellular immunity responses as manifested in an increase in the level of blast transformation to specific antigen up to 30 percent one week after termination of the course. One month later the reaction became negative indicating the necessity of multiple vaccination courses for prevention of relapses of herpetic eye disease.