Determination of Viral Infectivity: HSV, VZV, and CMV

Compared to the wide range of antibiotics that are available, the number of antiviral drugs is limited. However, herpesviruses have always been a major target for antiviral drug design, and there are a wide range of drugs at various stages of development. All of the assays described in this chapter provide relatively simple methods for plaque reduction assay of herpesviruses. Clearly, it is not possible to perform such assays on those herpesviruses that do not grow in adherent cells, such as Epstein-Barr virus. These require a different approach and are discussed elsewhere in this volume.