Experimental murine cytomegalovirus infection of ocular structures
J. F. Bale Jr, M. E. O'Neil, R. N. Hogan and E. R. Kern
To study experimental cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of ocular structures,
3-week-old Swiss-Webster mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with a 0%
to 20% lethal inoculum of murine CMV (MCMV). Murine cytomegalovirus was
recovered from homogenates of eye tissues on days 3, 5, and 7 after
inoculation. Peak virus titers, mean of 2.93 +/- 0.67 log plaque-forming
units of MCMV per gram of ocular tissue occurred on day 5. Urine
cytomegalovirus was recovered from explant cultures of eye and optic nerve
14, 21, 60, 90, and 120 days after MCMV inoculation. Murine cytomegalovirus
also persisted in intraocular fluids for as long as 90 days. Murine
cytomegalovirus infection was confirmed by immunofluorescence antibody
staining and transmission electron microscopy. These experiments indicate
that MCMV infects the ocular tissues of mice during systemic MCMV
infection, and persists in ocular tissues for as long as 120 days after
infection. These studies may be directly relevant to ocular disorders that
occur during acquired CMV infections of humans, and suggest that ocular
tissues may be a site of CMV persistence or latency.
