Herpesvirus and cervical cancer studies in experimental animals.

Several studies with small laboratory animals in which low rates of malignant changes of the cervix have followed intravaginal inoculation with herpes simplex virus type 2 have been reported. Recently, we found that, following intravaginal inoculation, Cebus monkeys develop cervical infections and lesions similar to those found in humans. A large-scale investigation is now in progress to determine whether the repeated infection of Cebus monkeys with herpes simplex virus type 2 will produce malignant changes of the cervix.