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[Ocular involvement by Epstein-Barr virus: a difficult diagnosis]
1Service Universitaire d'Ophthalmologie Hôpital Jules Gonin Lausanne, Suisse.
Insights
Investigating Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in uveitis, this study found limited evidence of a direct link between chronic EBV infection and specific ocular conditions. Further research with advanced diagnostics is needed to clarify the spectrum of ocular EBV disease.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Virology
- Immunology
Context:
- The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been anecdotally linked to various ocular conditions.
- Uveitis cases lacking clear etiology undergo herpes group virus serology.
- Previous evidence correlating EBV and ocular disease is scarce.
Purpose:
- To retrospectively analyze ocular pathology in patients with elevated EBV serology.
- To investigate the types of ocular conditions associated with EBV infection.
Summary:
- Forty patients with elevated EBV serology were identified.
- Most showed polyclonal herpes virus antibody elevation; six had elevated anti-EBV antibodies only.
- Specific diagnoses included anterior uveitis, pars planitis, and uveitis with endothelitis.
Impact:
- Current diagnostic methods make it challenging to establish a definitive link between chronic EBV and specific ocular diseases.
- The full spectrum of ocular manifestations of EBV remains uncertain pending improved diagnostic tools.
Background:
A correlation has been made, often on the base of very scarce evidence, between several ocular clinical pictures and chronic infection due to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
Materials And Methods:
Serology of the herpes group viruses is part of the investigations performed in uveitis cases without obvious etiology that are examined at our uveitis clinic. We retrospectively studied the clinical files of patients with an elevated EBV serology for the purpose of studying the type of ocular pathology presented.
Results:
According to our criteria, 40 patients had an elevated EBV serology. Twenty-nine presented with a polyclonal elevation of antibodies against several viruses of the herpes group. Six showed an increase of anti-EBV antibodies only (2 uveitis cases without specific diagnosis, 2 HLA-B27 positive anterior uveitis cases, 1 pars planitis and 1 anterior uveitis with endothelitis).
Conclusions:
If we exclude the ocular pathology occurring during acute primary infection (infections mononucleosis), it is difficult to find some correlation between a clinical picture and EBV infection. Before better diagnostic tools are available, the spectrum of ocular EBV disease will remain conjectural.