Objective: To assess for the presence of human herpesvirus (HHV) using immunohistochemical and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in surgically excised vestibular schwannoma (VS) samples.
Study design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: A retrospective laboratory-based study of tumors from patients with vestibular schwannoma.
Subjects and methods: Tissue microarrays (TMAs) representing sporadic and NF2-associated VS from 121 patients, as well as appropriate positive and negative controls, were studied. TMA sections were immunostained using antibodies directed against HHV-1, HHV-2, HHV-3, HHV-4, HHV-5, and HHV-8. PCR was used for the detection of all 8 known human herpesviruses.
Results: There was no detectable HHV (HHV-1, HHV-2, HHV-3, HHV-4, HHV-5, HHV-8) by immunohistochemistry in any of the 121 cases of sporadic and NF2 cases analyzed. These data were further validated by DNA sequence analyses using PCR in a subset of the VS samples, all of which were found to be negative for all HHV.
Conclusions: The data offer no support for an association between HHV and the development of sporadic or NF2-associated VS in humans.
Keywords: Epstein-Barr virus; acoustic neuroma; cytomegalovirus; etiology; herpes simplex virus; human herpesvirus; immunohistochemistry; varicella-zoster virus; vestibular schwannoma.
© American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.