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Corneal grafts may be able to transmit herpes simplex
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Transmission of the herpes simplex virus and subsequent infection is a possible complication of penetrating keratoplasty, a recent study suggests.
Vincent M. Borderie, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the Hôpital Saint Vincent de Paul, Paris, France, reported in the March issue of Cornea three cases of such infection in patients with no history of symptomatic herpes infection. Two patients had undergone transplantation for keratoconus and one for Fuchs dystrophy.
Following the procedures, two patients developed keratouveitis and primary graft failure, while the third patient developed dendritic keratitis in the graft. Tissue samples showed the grafts were positive for the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV).
The authors note that the three donor sera and preoperative recipient sera were positive for HSV, although analysis of the recipient corneal buttons showed no evidence of herpetic infection.
The authors wrote that the cases do suggest donor-to-host transmission, but admit the recipients could have been the source of the virus.