To browse Academia. At the start of the AIDS epidemic in the early eighties panic, fear and disbelief prevailed. A new "Great Plague" had arrived! Now, thirty years later, we know the enemy, we have devised effective weapons that transform a deadly disease into a chronic condition, and very recently we made our first attempts at engineering cellular resistance to HIV.
This lecture will explore the many new insights we gained during our fight against AIDS, with some emphasis on the ophthalmic aspects of the disease. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the absence of this gene affects the pathogenesis of herpes simplex virus type 1 HSV-1 ocular infection in the mouse.
To evaluate the severity of herpetic keratitis, slit lamp examinations SLE were performed every other day for 14 days. To study corneal histology and apoptosis, HSVinoculated RNase-L-null and congenic control mice, as well as mock-inoculated mice apoptosis negative control , were killed at 6 and 18 hours postinoculation PI.
Uninoculated mice that underwent corneal scarification apoptosis positive control were killed 2 hours after scarification. Eyes were dissected and the corneas processed for light and transmission electron microscopy and the TUNEL assay. There is no cure or vaccine available for HSV-1; however, there are treatments available that aim to control the inflammation caused by the virus and prevent its recurrence. While these treatments are beneficial to those suffering with HSK, there is a need for more effective treatments to minimise the need for topical steroids, which can have harmful effects, and to prevent bouts of disease reactivation, which can lead to progressive corneal scarring and visual impairment.
ABSTRACTHerpes simplex virus HSV establishes latency in ganglionic neurons of the peripheral nervous system, from which it can reactivate, causing recurrent disease and possible transmission to a new host.
