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Clinical application of real-time polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of herpetic diseases of the anterior segment of the eye

  • Clinical Investigation
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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the value of quantification of herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA for the differential diagnosis of herpetic diseases of the anterior segment of the eye.

Methods

One hundred forty-four samples from 90 patients with ocular inflammatory diseases were examined for HSV DNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers set for the consensus sequence of HSV-1/2 DNA polymerase. The samples included corneal epithelial scrapings, tear fluid (200μl of eye wash), and aqueous humor.

Results

In cases of typical herpetic epithelial keratitis, a large number of copies of HSV DNA were detected (mean, 1.0 × 107 copies in epithelial scrapings and 3.5 × 105 copies in tear fluid). In atypical epithelial keratitis cases, a smaller number of HSV DNA copies were detected. In stromal keratitis cases, the number of copies of HSV DNA in the tear fluid (mean: 4.7 × 102 copies) was significantly smaller than in cases of epithelial keratitis. In the aqueous humor, the number of copies was small in endotheliitis cases (mean, 2.9 × 102 copies/μl), but the range was great, from (1.2–4.8) × 105/μl in herpetic iridocyclitis. Seventeen percent of cases in which HSV was not suspected to be involved showed a small number of copies of HSV DNA, indicating the unexpected involvement of HSV in these cases.

Conclusions

Real-time PCR is an informative method of diagnosing herpetic eye diseases and evaluating the possible involvement of HSV in other inflammatory ocular diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, 683-8504, Japan

    Akiko Kakimaru-Hasegawa, Chuan-Hui Kuo, Naoki Komatsu, Keiko Komatsu, Dai Miyazaki & Yoshitsugu Inoue

Authors
  1. Akiko Kakimaru-Hasegawa
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  2. Chuan-Hui Kuo
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  3. Naoki Komatsu
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  4. Keiko Komatsu
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  5. Dai Miyazaki
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  6. Yoshitsugu Inoue
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Correspondence to Akiko Kakimaru-Hasegawa.

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Kakimaru-Hasegawa, A., Kuo, CH., Komatsu, N. et al. Clinical application of real-time polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of herpetic diseases of the anterior segment of the eye. Jpn J Ophthalmol 52, 24–31 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-007-0485-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-007-0485-7

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