Transgenic mice expressing sHBZ in CD4 T cells are highly susceptible to intravaginal infection with HSV-2. (A) Virus titer in vaginal washes in primary infection. (B) Histologic analysis of epithelia and ganglion in vaginal tissue from mice infected with HSV-2. Uninfected vaginal tissues are presented as controls. HE indicates H&E stain; and HSV, immunohistochemical analysis for the viral antigen. Arrowheads indicate HSV-2–positive cells. (C) Cytokine production by splenic CD4 T cells from mice infected with 10⁴ plaque-forming units (PFU) of HSV-2. Cells were stimulated with mAbs to CD3 and CD28 or APC plus heat-inactivated HSV-2 (HIH2) in ex vivo culture. (D) IFN-γ concentration in vaginal wash fluid harvested at day 5 after infection. (E) Survival curve of non-Tg or HBZ-Tg mice infected with 10³ PFU of HSV-2. *P < .05 (log-rank test). (F) Viral titer in vaginal washes during HSV-2 secondary infection. To evaluate adaptive immunity against HSV-2 infection, mice were immunized and infected with the virus as shown in the upper panel. Bars represent the mean ± SD of all mice per genotype. Two or 3 independent experiments have been performed. N.D. indicates not detected.