Antibodies to epitopes of herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein B (gB) in human sera: analysis of functional gB epitopes defined by inhibition of murine monoclonal antibodies.

The epitopes on herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoprotein B (gB) recognized by sera of 23 patients with well-characterized HSV infection were studied. Twelve epitope-specific monoclonal antibodies with neutralization (NT) or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activities were used in competitive ELISA binding inhibition studies. The sera were additionally analyzed for homologous viral type NT, ADCC activity, and gB-reactive antibody by ELISA. Seroconversion was observed in each assay during convalescence. Relative type specificity for sera from HSV-1-infected but not from HSV-2-infected individuals was demonstrated in the ADCC assay. Sera from HSV-infected patients contained antibodies recognizing 9 of 12 epitopes, representing 5 of the 6 characterized antigenic domains of gB tested. Two of the epitopes were blocked in a type-specific fashion. The incidence of epitopic recognition increased gradually with time and was delayed compared with the detection of functional ADCC or NT activity and overall antibody recognition of gB in the ELISA.