Herpes simplex virus latency in human cornea.
The authors attempted to demonstrate the latency of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in corneas obtained during penetrating keratoplasty from patients with herpetic stromal keratitis in the nonactive (subsided) stage. The subjects comprised 20 patients (9 men, 11 women; average age 43.5 years). Infectious virus was not detected in the supernatants following corneal homogenization and centrifugation. Latent virus was detected in the cultured supernatants of the corneal sections from 8 patients. Although the ganglion trigger theory by Hill et al is conventionally supported as the mechanism of recurrence of herpetic keratitis, the present results suggest a ganglion and skin trigger theory, in which proliferation from latent HSV-1 in the cornea (peripheral tissue) might stimulate the ganglion.
Shimomura
Y
Y
Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University School of Medicine, Japan.
Mori
Y
Y
Inoue
Y
Y
Kiritooshi
A
A
Ohashi
Y
Y
Manabe
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D002648:Child; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016849:Keratitis, Herpetic / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating; D008297:Male; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D008875:Middle Aged; D014709:Vero Cells; D014775:Virus Activation; D017735:Virus Latency / Q000502:physiology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral