Herpes simplex virus type 1 isolated from newborns reveals viral diversity between and within patients
4 affiliations
- 1Departments of Biology and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
- 2Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
- 3Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
- 4Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and 2 infect over 14,000 newborns each year globally, with most cases (55%) causing a severe outcome that can be fatal if untreated. Neonatal disease severity and long-term outcomes remain unpredictable, and elucidating viral factors that contribute to these outcomes remains a challenge. However, through viral genomic and phenotypic analysis of HSV isolated from neonatal patients, we can begin to connect aspects of viral diversity with clinical patient data. METHODS: Here we have applied viral whole genome sequencing to a collection of residual clinical diagnostic samples from ten neonates who had either mild or severe HSV-1 infections. Samples from different body sites or across recurrences allowed for both within- and between-host comparisons. From 30 residual diagnostic samples, we successfully isolated 14 viral cultures. These cultured viruses enabled additional phenotypic analyses, including in vitro growth evaluation in multiple cell types and an in vivo murine model of infection. RESULTS: These data highlight the diversity found in HSV-1 isolated from neonates. Through comparative genomics approaches, we demonstrate both within- and between-host diversity of these samples. Growth of cultured isolates in cell-based assays and a murine model of infection reveal additional aspects of within- and between-host differences. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study presents the first investigation into the viral diversity of neonatal HSV-1, which is now more common in the US than neonatal HSV-2. Through integration of phenotypic, genomic, and clinical data we characterized these neonatal viral samples to begin unraveling the complexity of neonatal HSV-1 infections.
Related
- Serum proteomics in newborns reveals a multi-pathway molecular panel for neonatal sepsis, encompassing pathogen sensing, leukocyte recruitment, and endothelial injury.
- Transcriptomic Profiling of Adherent Cells Isolated from Wedged Pulmonary Arterial Blood of Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Reveals a Predominantly Myeloid Rather than Endothelial Phenotype
- Markerless Motion Capture Reveals Movement Abnormalities in Isolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
- Quasispecies Diversity and Amino Acid Variation at the Fusion Protein Cleavage Site of Newcastle Disease Virus Isolated from Cormorants in Central Asia.
- Cognitive Performance and Psychological Characteristics in Patients With Clinically Isolated Syndrome: A Case–Control Study
BibTeX
@article{passetti2026herpes,
title = {{Herpes simplex virus type 1 isolated from newborns reveals viral diversity between and within patients}},
author = {Holly A. Passetti and Jessica P. Johnstone and Brian J. Miller and Daniel W. Renner and Reem Abu Rass and Christopher D. Bowen and Yetong Li and Cooper K. Hayes and Lisa N. Akhtar and Moriah L. Szpara},
journal = {The Journal of infectious diseases},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1093/infdis/jiag328},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiag328},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Herpes simplex virus type 1 isolated from newborns reveals viral diversity between and within patients
AU - Holly A. Passetti
AU - Jessica P. Johnstone
AU - Brian J. Miller
AU - Daniel W. Renner
AU - Reem Abu Rass
AU - Christopher D. Bowen
AU - Yetong Li
AU - Cooper K. Hayes
AU - Lisa N. Akhtar
AU - Moriah L. Szpara
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/26
JO - The Journal of infectious diseases
DO - 10.1093/infdis/jiag328
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiag328
AB - BACKGROUND: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and 2 infect over 14,000 newborns each year globally, with most cases (55%) causing a severe outcome that can be fatal if untreated. Neonatal disease severity and long-term outcomes remain unpredictable, and elucidating viral factors that contribute to these outcomes remains a challenge. However, through viral genomic and phenotypic analysis of HSV isolated from neonatal patients, we can begin to connect aspects of viral diversity with clinical patient data. METHODS: Here we have applied viral whole genome sequencing to a collection of residual clinical diagnostic samples from ten neonates who had either mild or severe HSV-1 infections. Samples from different body sites or across recurrences allowed for both within- and between-host comparisons. From 30 residual diagnostic samples, we successfully isolated 14 viral cultures. These cultured viruses enabled additional phenotypic analyses, including in vitro growth evaluation in multiple cell types and an in vivo murine model of infection. RESULTS: These data highlight the diversity found in HSV-1 isolated from neonates. Through comparative genomics approaches, we demonstrate both within- and between-host diversity of these samples. Growth of cultured isolates in cell-based assays and a murine model of infection reveal additional aspects of within- and between-host differences. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study presents the first investigation into the viral diversity of neonatal HSV-1, which is now more common in the US than neonatal HSV-2. Through integration of phenotypic, genomic, and clinical data we characterized these neonatal viral samples to begin unraveling the complexity of neonatal HSV-1 infections.
SN - 0022-1899
SN - 1537-6613
ER -