单纯性疱疹病毒(HSV)可引起进行性脑坏死和脑水肿,如不进行治疗,死亡率高达70%。未经治疗的单纯性疱疹脑炎幸存者中约2/3有神经缺损,有时甚至很严重。有效的抗病毒药,如阿糖腺苷和无环鸟苷可供使用,而早期使用效果最佳。然而,由于EB病毒脑炎、囊膜病毒脑炎(togavirus encephalitis)和结核性脑膜炎可能有相似的症状和体征,故诊断不能仅仅依据临床标准。因此,需要一种早期诊断单纯性疱疹脑炎的精确诊断试验,但目前脑活检标本检查仍是早期诊断本病没有的确定方法,而脑活检证实的本病病人脑脊液(CSF)病毒培养的阳性率仅约4%。尽管CSF中的HSV抗原和抗休试验已有了进展,但在感染早期阳性的罕见。聚合酶链反应(PCR)是一种可将极小的DNA进行酶扩增以便用常规手段如DNA杂交进行检查的方法(一种成功地用于检测数种传染因子包括乳头瘤病毒和免疫缺陷病 Herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes progressive brain necrosis and cerebral edema, which, if left untreated, can result in death rates as high as 70%. About two-thirds of untreated herpes simplex encephalitis survivors have neurological deficits, sometimes even worse. Effective antiviral drugs such as vidarabine and acyclovir are available for early use. However, due to Epstein-Barr virus encephalitis, togavirus encephalitis and tuberculous meningitis may have similar symptoms and signs, diagnosis can not be based solely on clinical criteria. Therefore, there is a need for an accurate diagnostic test for the early diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis, but currently the biopsy specimen examination is still a definitive method for the early diagnosis of this disease, whereas the brain biopsy confirmed positive for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) virus culture in this patient Only about 4% rate. Although HSV antigens and anti-rest tests in CSF have progressed, it is rare to be positive early in the infection. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a method by which minimal DNA can be enzymatically amplified for examination by conventional means such as DNA hybridization (a method successfully used to detect several infectious agents including papillomavirus and immunodeficiency disease