[The diagnostic significance of polymerase chain reaction for ocular samples in viral retinitis]

During the past two years we studied the incidence of infection by eight members of the herpesvirus family in ocular samples (tear fluid, the aqueous, and the vitreous) using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 31 ocular samples were collected from 22 eyes of 13 patients. The series comprised five cases of acute retinal necrosis, four of cytomegalovirus retinitis, three of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and one of ocular malignant lymphoma. In 12 eyes of 9 patients with viral retinitis, causative viral DNA was detected either from the tear fluid (1/12, 8%), the aqueous (6/7, 86%), or the vitreous (1/1, 100%). In the fellow eyes free of viral retinitis, no viral DNA was detected in the samples (6 of tear fluid and one of the aqueous). Out of the other 4 patients without viral retinitis, viral DNA was detected in one patient with ocular malignant lymphoma. The findings show that PCR is a useful and sensitive method in the diagnosis of viral retinitis, but that it may give false positive results. The aqueous and the vitreous samples gave more positive results than tear fluid.