Studies on new ways to treat ocular herpesvirus infections will continue. Some of the newer drugs to be tested are specific for the virus-infected cells and non-toxic treatment for viral infections. Rabbits will be infected with herpesvirus and the effects of the drugs will be assayed in blind studies on the keratitis, iritis, and stromal disease. Promising drugs will be tested for their ability to prevent recurrences of herpes and for their ability to eradicate or prevent colonization of the trigeminal ganglia by the virus. Cell-mediated immunity will be studied further in patients with recurrent ocular herpes infections. A new model for varicella-zoster in the Patas monkey will be explored. If it is truly a model for the human zoster iritis, studies will be done on the treatment of the iritis, as well as on the mechanisms of the infection.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter