Genomic polymorphism in herpes simplex virus keratitis.

Viruses are the major infectious agents causing conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis. Two antigenic types, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2), can be recognized in which numerous genomic variants or genotypes have been described. HSV-1 infection is one of the major causes of blindness. Different strains can induce different types of ocular lesions. Twelve patients with acute herpetic epithelial keratitis were studied by monoclonal antibodies and restriction enzymes, and nine different HSV-1 genomic variants were identified. This study confirms that a variety of HSV-1 strains is associated to this kind of infection.