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Updated: Dec 28, 2025
Ex Vivo Organotypic Corneal Model of Acute Epithelial Herpes Simplex Virus Type I Infection
Published on: November 3, 2012
Herpes Simplex DNA in Tears of Atypical Dendritic Keratitis and Multiple Punctate Subepithelial Stromal Opacity: A
Akira Hirota1, Noriko Inada, Yukiko Shiraki
1Division of Ophthalmology, Department of Visual Sciences, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Purpose:
To report an atypical presentation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis followed up using expression levels of HSV DNA in tears.
Methods:
A 22-year-old Japanese woman with hyperemia and foreign body sensation in her left eye was diagnosed with atypical dendritic keratitis. A slit-lamp examination at presentation indicated the presence of a rush of dendritic lesions with a sparse branching pattern and poor development of terminal bulbs; follicular conjunctivitis was also observed. Positivity for house-dust-mite- and cedar pollen-specific IgE antibodies in her serum indicated atopic diathesis. The HSV DNA levels in her tears were measured by a real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Results:
At the initial visit, the HSV DNA levels in tears were 6.4 × 10 copies/sample in the right eye and 1.6 × 10 copies/sample in the left eye. The keratitis improved after treatment with topical acyclovir ointment, 5 times a day for 7 days, and systemic valacyclovir 1000 mg/d for 5 days. Multiple punctate subepithelial opacities developed in her left eye on day 7, with undetectable HSV DNA in tears, bilaterally.
Conclusions:
We have successfully monitored the HSV DNA levels in tears using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in HSV keratitis where the corneal findings progressed from atypical dendritic keratitis to multiple punctate corneal subepithelial opacities during the treatment period.
