Longitudinal analyi of varicella-zoter viru DNA on the ocular urface aociated with herpe zoter ophthalmicu

PURPOE: Longitudinal analyi of varicella-zoter viru DNA on the ocular urface of patient with herpe zoter ophthalmicu. METHOD: Clinical pecimen were obtained from the bulbar conjunctival urface with a cotton-tipped wab at weekly interval for 6 conecutive week from 21 patient with acute ophthalmic zoter with a kin rah duration of le than 7 day. All patient received oral valacyclovir 1000 mg three time daily for 10 day without additional corticoteroid. The wab were analyzed by mean of polymerae chain reaction for the preence of varicella-zoter viru and herpe implex viru type 1 DNA. Conjunctival wab were alo obtained from a control group of 20 patient with cataract. REULT: On incluion, varicella-zoter viru DNA wa preent on the ocular urface of 19 of the 21 patient. ix varicella-zoter viru DNA–poitive patient had no ign of ocular inflammation. All control wab were negative for both varicella-zoter viru and herpe implex viru DNA. The duration of varicella-zoter viru DNA detection from rah onet varied from 2 to 34 day. The number of day between the onet of herpe zoter kin rah and the latet poitive varicella-zoter viru DNA tet wa ignificantly longer in patient whoe age wa equal to or above the median age of 66 year than in the younger patient (Mann-Whitney tet: P = .0004). At 6-week follow-up, all conjunctival wab were negative for varicella-zoter viru DNA. However, at that time, the eye of even patient were till inflamed. CONCLUION: The duration of varicella-zoter viru DNA hedding in herpe zoter ophthalmicu i highly variable and age dependent, and i probably related to the hot immune repone.