Detection of locally produced antibodies to herpes viruses in the aqueous of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or acute retinal necrosis syndrome (ARN).

Intraocular synthesis of IgG antibodies against HSV (herpes simplex virus), CMV (cytomegalovirus) and VZV (varicella zoster virus) is considered as an indirect proof of uveoretinal infection. Paired serum and aqueous samples obtained from 16 patients with retinitis associated with AIDS, 3 patients with ARN, 8 patients with posterior uveitis not related to AIDS or ARN and 5 patients with senile cataract were tested for total immunoglobulin G levels and antibodies to HSV, CMV and VZV by the fixed cell immunofluorescence technique. Since therapy must often be started before results of cultures are available, rapid detection of locally produced anti-Herpes Virus antibodies can be a precious tool in the diagnosis of ocular viral infection. Using this technique we were able to confirm the clinically suspected diagnosis in more than 50% of AIDS patients with retinitis and in two out of three patients with ARN.