[TLR9 and HBD-2 gene expression by conjunctival and corneal cells in children with dendriform herpetic keratitis].

The current views of the role of innate immunity in protecting the organ of vision from viral infection offer scope for a search for new approaches to diagnosing and treating viral keratitis. TLR9 and HBD-2 gene expression in the conjunctiva and cornea was studied in children with dendriform herpetic keratitis. The latter showed a significant (more than 20-fold) increase in TLR9 gene expression as compared in healthy children. Conventional antiviral therapy for herpetic keratitis resulted in a significant decrease in the level of TLR9 gene expression (by more than two orders of magnitude). The use of the immunomodulator Superlymph in complex treatment normalized the level of TLR9 gene expression in the conjunctiva and cornea; moreover, there was a rapid relief of inflammation signs, an increase in visual acuity, and a reduction in the duration of treatment in patients with herpetic keratitis.