Differences in the Likelihood of Acyclovir Resistance-Associated Mutations in the Thymidine Kinase Genes of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and Varicella-Zoster Virus

Acyclovir (ACV) resistance-associated mutations in two recombinant herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) clones were compared. Recombinant HSV-1 lacking its thymidine kinase (TK) and expressing varicella-zoster virus (VZV) TK ectopically had no mutations in the VZV TK gene. In contrast, recombinant HSV-1 expressing HSV-1 TK ectopically harbored mutations in the HSV-1 TK gene. These results suggest that the relatively low frequency of ACV-resistant VZV is a consequence of the characteristics of the TK gene.