[Experimental study of ophthalmic embryopathy of herpetic etiology]

The teratogenic effect of herpes simplex virus was studied in white rats and in organ cultures of rat embryo eye rudiments. In herpetic infection, changes in the lens fibers, delayed formation of the vitreous body cavity, disturbed differentiation of the retina, appearance of typical and atypical colobomas were observed significantly more frequently than in controls. The models used in the study are suitable for experimental investigations of the pathogenesis of ophthalmoembryopathies of herpetic etiology.