Herpes simplex virus-1 infects the olfactory bulb shortly following ocular infection and exhibits a long-term inflammatory profile in the form of effector and HSV-1-specific T cells

Background: Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection can result in a life-threatening condition known as herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE). Trafficking patterns by which the virus reaches the central nervous system (CNS) following ocular infection are unresolved. We evaluated early viral dissemination pathways following ocular infection that involve trafficking to the olfactory bulb (OB). Additionally, we have characterized the capacity of HSV-1 to establish latency within OB tissue and profiled the local T lymphocyte response over the course of the acute infection into latency. Methods: Scarified corneas of C57BL/6 or reporter-inducible Rosa mice (Rosa(Td/Tm)) were inoculated with HSV-1 and assessed for viral dissemination into the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and CNS by RT-PCR and confocal microscopy. T cells and the resident microglia activation signatures were analyzed by flow cytometry. T cell effector function in the form of IFN-gamma secretion was measured by T cells isolated from OB in comparison to T cells from other nervous system sites known to harbor HSV-1-specific memory T cells. Results: Following ocular infection, HSV-1 viral titers from nasal secretions were detected as early as 48 h through 8 days post infection (8 DPI). HSV-1 gene expression was expressed as early as 2 days following ocular infection in the OB and was consistent with an enhanced expression in the ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve ganglia (TG). Rosa fluorescence protein expression (RFP+) representing HSV-1-infected cells from Rosa(Td/Tm) mice was detected in the OB before other areas of the CNS (2 DPI). Additionally, during acute infection, most infected cells appeared to be anatomically distributed within the OB rather than other regions of the CNS. During latency (i. e., 30 DPI and beyond) despite no detectable infectious virus or lytic gene expression and low levels of latency associated transcripts, total effector (CD44(+) CD62(-)) CD4(+) T, CD8(+) T, HSV-1-specific CD8(+) T cells, and MHC class II positive resident microglia numbers continued to increase. CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell populations isolated from the OB during latency were capable of responding to PMA/ionomycin in the production of IFN-gamma similar to T cells from other tissue that possess latent virus including the TG and brain stem. Conclusions: It is currently understood that HSV-1 traffics to the TG following ocular infection. We have identified a second conduit by which HSV-1 can directly access the CNS bypassing the brain stem. We have also recognized that the OB is unique in that during HSV-1 latency, latency-associated transcripts levels were marginally above uninfected controls. Despite these findings, the local immune response mimicked the phenotype of an active infection during latency.