A study on HSV-1 corneal potential infection by in situ nucleic acid hybridization.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the possibility of HSV-1 corneal latency by in situ nucleic acid hybridization in animal models.


METHODS
20 normal New Zealand White (NEW) rabbits were used, 14 of them were inoculated bilaterally with 3 x 10 PFU/ml of McKrae strain HSV-1 by intrastromal injection. 22/28 eyes developed typical herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) diseases. At 60 day postoperation (PI), 4 latent corneas were transplanted to one eye of 4 noninfected NZW rabbits and removed 2 weeks PI. Corneas at all time intervals of infection and two weeks after PKP were detected for presence of HSV-1 antigen and nucleic acid sequences by using clonal IgG HSV-1 antibody and biotinylated HSV-1 DNA probe individually.


RESULTS
The results showed that the HSV-1 DNA sequences were retained within the corneal epithelium and anterior stromal keratocytes during acute diseases, while the corneas during latent infection and postoperation, the HSV-1 DNA sequences were retained only within the stromal layer with negative HSV-1 antigen staining.


CONCLUSIONS
These results strongly suggest that the cornea may be capable of harboring latent HSV-1.
Li
S
S
Institute of Ophthalmology, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China.
Xie
L
L
Dong
X
X
D000818:Animals; D003315:Cornea / Q000737:chemistry / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D016849:Keratitis, Herpetic / Q000821:virology*; D011817:Rabbits; D017735:Virus Latency
D004279:DNA, Viral