[How "safe" is corneal transplantation? A contribution on the risk of HSV-transmission due to corneal transplantation].
BACKGROUND
We have attempted in this article to summarise the present literature on the risks of virus transmission via corneal transplantation, with special emphasize on Herpes simplex virus (HSV).


METHODS
We conducted a literature search from Medline.


RESULTS
HSV is now acknowledged as a cause of primary graft failure, and this entity has been attributed to donor-to-host HSV infection. HSV is the primary cause of graft failure, and may induce reactivation in the recipient in the dendritic form, or in atypical forms.


CONCLUSIONS
Corneal transplantation is a potential route for HSV infection as a possible transmittable disease which now has to be taken into consideration in eye banks.
Robert
P-Y R
PY
clinique d'ophtalmologie, CHU Dupuytren, Limoges, Frankreich. pierre-yves.robert@unilim.fr
Adenis
J-P
JP
Pleyer
U
U
D015897:Comorbidity; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005125:Eye Banks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors