New Properties of Mammalian Cells Transformed by Herpes Simplex and Cytomegaloviruses

New properties of nammalian cells transformed by herpes simplex and cytome-galoviruses by Fred Rapp, Ph. D. The relationship of herpes simplex viruses (HSV) and cytomegaloviruses (CMV) to human neoplasia has been difficult to assess. On the basis of seroepidemiological evidence, HSV type 2 has been associated with the etiology of squamous cervical carcinoma (1-5). Women with cervical carcinoma have increased frequency of antibodies to HSV-2 than do controls matched for race, age, and socioeconomic level. The percentages vary considerably from study to study, but this may be due to the use of different serological techniques (a very serious and confusing problem) in determining antibody titers. Herpesvirus particles have been reported in one case of prostate carcinoma cells as demonstrated by electron microscopy (6). This observation is in need of coa-firmation and its value is questionable, since the Same group of workers previously alleged that 15 percent of men from 15 years of age harbor HSV-2 without Symptoms in the prostate and vas deferens and pass this virus venereally (7)