[Persistence of ophthalmotropic enteroviruses in ocular tissues after enterovirus uveitis]

Thirteen monkeys were infected with ophthalmotropic strains of ECHO11 and ECHO19 in the anterior chamber of one eye. Echovirus antigens were detected by direct immunofluorescence in the membranes of the infected and paired eyes in various periods after inoculation (from 3 days to 5 years 8 months). Virus antigen was detected both in the infected and intact eyes. During the acute period of uveitis the antigen was detected mainly in the anterior segment of the infected eye, whereas in remote period it was found mainly in the posterior segment. Long persistence of the virus antigen in various ocular membranes may explain many of the late complications observed in children with enterovirus uveitis.