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Updated: May 7, 2026
Ex Vivo Organotypic Corneal Model of Acute Epithelial Herpes Simplex Virus Type I Infection
Published on: November 3, 2012
Could polymerase chain reaction tests on conjunctival swabs be useful to diagnose herpetic keratitis?
Laura Barrado1, M Jesús Suarez2, Eugenio Pérez-Blázquez2
1Servicio de Microbiología Clínica, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Avenida de Córdoba s/n, 28041 Madrid, Spain.
Introduction:
Diagnosis of HSV-1 keratitis (HK) is frequently based on clinical findings. Invasive specimens (corneal scrapings, biopsies) are required for microbiological diagnosis.
Methods:
Corneal scrapings and conjunctival swabs were collected on patients with/without clinical suspicion of HK from 2007 to 2012.
Results:
The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for conjunctival swabs by PCR was 77.8, 92.1, 84.4 and 88.3, respectively.
Discussion:
Conjunctival swabs by PCR may help in the diagnosis of HK, despite the limited sensitivity.
