INDUCTION OF OCULAR HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS SHEDDING BY IONTOPHORESIS OF EPINEPHRINE INTO RABBIT CORNEA

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  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 21  (3) , 442-449
Abstract
Ocular herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) shedding from the latently infected rabbit was induced by iontophoresis of 0.01% epinephrine into the eye. The iontophoresis of epinephrine was at 0.8 mA for 8 min once a day for 3 consecutive days. Shedding was determined by the presence of HSV-1 in the tear film obtained with eye swabs. Unilateral epinephrine iontophoresis performed 60 days after inoculation resulted in ipsilateral HSV-1 shedding in all cases (7/7). Bilateral epinephrine iontophoresis performed on selected days during 170-365 days after inoculation resulted in HSV-1 shedding in 75% of the eyes (21/28) and 100% of the rabbits (14/14). All shedding was initiated within 3 days after the 3rd treatment with epinephrine iontophoresis. The shedding frequency induced by epinephrine iontophoresis was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that induced by the other methods employed. HSV-1 was detected in 1 or both co-cultivated explants of trigeminal and superior cervical ganglia for every eye in all experimental groups, indicating that all eyes had the potential to shed. Epinephrine iontophoresis induced ocular HSV-1 shedding reliably and with a high frequency in the latently infected rabbits. This easily reproducible model of viral shedding offers a system for studying the factors involved in recurrent HSV-1 ocular infections.