Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-induced ocular immunopathology

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) virus of the mice provides perhaps the most extensively studied model of viral-induced immunopathology. Intraocular inoculation of this virus in the adult mouse produces a severe and progressive uveitis with involvement also of the cornea and retina. Intracerebral infection of the newborn rat with LCM virus produces a severe retinopathy, with only minimal involvement of the uveal tract. We review in this paper recent studies on these two animal models of LCM virus disease which demonstrate: (1) the histopathology of the ocular lesion; (2) that immunosuppression after infection prevents development of the disease; (3) that passive transfer of sensitized lymphoid cells to the immunosuppressed infected animal can then trigger ocular disease, and (4) that T lymphocytes, and not circulating antibody, play the major role in the pathogenesis of this disease process.