Alphaherpesvirus Vaccines

Prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines for the alphaherpesviruses including varicella zoster virus (VZV) and herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 have been the focus of enormous preclinical and clinical research. A live viral vaccine for prevention of chickenpox and a subunit therapeutic vaccine to prevent zoster are highly successful. In contrast, progress towards the development of effective prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines against HSV-1 and HSV-2 has met with limited success. This review provides an overview of the successes and failures, the different types of immune responses elicited by various vaccine modalities, and the need to reconsider the preclinical models and immune correlates of protection against HSV.

Automated summary

Vaccines for alphaherpesviruses like VZV and HSV types 1 and 2 have shown varying levels of success, with live viral vaccines for chickenpox and subunit therapeutic vaccines for zoster proving highly successful. However, efforts to develop effective vaccines against HSV-1 and HSV-2 have been met with limited success. Different vaccine modalities elicit different types of immune responses, highlighting the need to reconsider preclinical models and immune correlates of protection against HSV.