Corneal endothelium in viral induced anterior uveitis. Ultrastructural changes following canine adenovirus type 1 infection
G. Aguirre, L. Carmichael and S. Bistner
Dogs inoculated intravenously with attenuated canine adenovirus type 1
developed anterior segment inflammation and corneal edema. During the stage
of mild anterior uveitis, virus was isolated from the aquious fluid, and by
electron microscopy, viral replication was found to occur in corneal
endothelial cells. Later, at the stage of severe anterior uveitis with
corneal edema, virus was not isolated from the aqueous fluid and cells
containing intranuclear (replicating) virus were not found. At this stage,
many inflammatory cells had infiltrated the anterior chamber and contained
numerous membrane-bound viral aggregates (viral-antibody complexes).
Phagocytized viral-antibody complexes were present in the areas of most
prominent endothelial cell destruction. Peripheral to the principal lesion
sites, inflammatory cells had dissected the endothelium from Descemet
membrane. After recovery from the disease, an intact endothelial cell layer
was present.
