Levamisole therapy: clinical and immunological evaluation in herpetic keratitis

Thirty patients with herpetic keratitis, recurrent in 17, were examined and submitted to an immunological evaluation for cell-mediated immunity (E rosette forming cells, absolute number of T lymphocytes, skin tests). A group of 15 patients was treated with Levamisole (2.5 mg/kg body weight, 3 days a week), while the control group received no Levamisole. The observation period varied from 6 to 24 months. The clinical follow-up showed a reduction in the severity and duration of herpetic attacks and in the frequency of relapses compared with the control group. The immunological findings indicated a normalization of E rosettes in all the patients (treated and controls).