Immunopathogenesis of corneal inflammation in herpes simplex virus stromal keratitis: role of the polymorphonuclear leukocyte.

The present studies suggest that polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) play an essential role in the development of corneal infiltrates in stromal herpes virus (HSV) keratitis. Corneal infiltration was seen rarely in herpes-infected animals treated with anti-PMN serum or with chemotherapy to reduce the numbers of circulating PMNs. By contrast, at least two thirds of the control animals with intact PMNs and infected with herpes virus developed stromal infiltrates. Host complement was localized with HSV antigen and rabbit gamma globulin along with inflammatory cells in the corneas of animals with stromal infiltrates. In the absence of PMN infiltrates, neither complement nor a significant amount of gamma globulin was localized in the corneal stroma. In the PMN-depleted animals, only viral antigen was detected in the stromal keratocytes.