Summary
PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-2 infection of the neonatal brain causes severe meningoencephalitis and permanent neurologic deficits. However, infants infected with HSV-2 at the time of birth follow different clinical courses. Some infants develop only external infection of the skin, eyes, or mouth (SEM disease), while others develop invasive infection of the central nervous system resulting in encephalitis (CNS disease). The factors that promote HSV-2 infection of the neonatal brain are not well understood. While adults can be predisposed to HSV encephalitis by an inna
