Detection of measles antigen in conjunctival epithelial lesions staining by lissamine green during measles virus infection.

In a study in Kenya of corneal lesions occurring in children with measles virus infection, conjunctival lesions of a characteristic appearance were seen concomitant with the rash. The lesions became visible after staining by Lissamine green or Rose Bengal. In order to investigate whether these lesions were virus-induced, paired biopsies were performed on the conjunctiva of five measles patients. One biopsy was taken of a staining lesion; the other one, taken of nonstaining conjunctiva of the same eye, served as control. Measles-specific immunofluorescence on cryostate sections of the biopsies showed that in all patients the antigen occurred in the conjunctival epithelial cell layer in the staining lesions only. The coincidence of epithelial staining and presence of measles antigen suggests a viral origin of the conjunctival lesion. Fluorescent antibody technique on cryostate sections proved to be a suitable method to demonstrate the presence of virus where isolation fails and serology is not applicable.