Diagnostics and role of HHV-6 infection in high-risk keratoplasty.
We present the results of PCR diagnostics used to detect DNA of HHV-6 infection in the peripheral blood and corneal tissue of the recipient removed during penetrating keratoplastic surgery (PKP) and those of the parallel serologic studies to detect the presence of IgG antibodies to HHV-6 in blood serum. 58 patients of the high-risk keratoplasty group were examined, including 41 patients with severe ulcers and threating corneal perforation before and/or after PKP and 17 patients who underwent PKP for post-burn leukomas. It was hypothesized that HHV-6 persistence may cause the development of severe forms of inflammatory pathologies (ulcers) of the cornea while in corneal burns it may be a consequence of posttraumatic immunodeficiency that contributes to the manifestation of latent infections. The level of IgG antibodies to HHV-6 may be considered as a protective mechanism in both cases, but the estimation of the dynamic change of HHV-6-IgG titer may be used as a prognostic criterion only in combination with PCR. // Russian Ophthalmological Journal, 2012; 3:30-33.