During the acute stage of infection, live virus could be first detected on 5 days post-infection (p.i.), peaked on 10 days p.i., and disappeared after 2 weeks p.i. Coincident with this, viral transcripts ICP0, ICP4, and LAT intron, detected by qRT-PCR, also started to appear on 5 days p.i., peaked between 8 and 10 days p.i., and returned to a basal level with the exception of LAT intron, which remain at a high level of expression for the entire course of our observation (2 months). This evidence concerns the gene LAT and infection.