Herpes simplex virus infection of the human eye induces a compartmentalized virus-specific B cell response

Intraocular infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) can cause uveitis, a potentially sight-threatening disease. The disease is characterized by an ocular infiltration of inflammatory cells such as macrophages and B and T cells. The characteristics of the local humoral and cellular immune responses elicited on intraocular HSV infection are poorly understood. The local HSV-specific antibody production, which are used routinely for confirmation of a clinical diagnosis of herpetic uveitis, has never been analyzed in detail. This study analyzed the humoral immune response against HSV type 1 (HSV-1) in paired samples of intraocular fluid and serum of patients with intraocular herpesvirus infection. In addition, the B cell epitope distribution on a single HSV-1 type-specific antigen, glycoprotein G, was compared for these paired samples. The results presented here indicate that the inflamed eyes of patients with HSV-induced uveitis display a compartmentalized B cell response directed toward the triggering virus.