Polluted Air Exposure Compromises Corneal Immunity and Exacerbates Inflammation in Acute Herpes Simplex Keratitis

Air pollution is a serious environmental issue worldwide in developing countries?megacities, affecting the population?s health, including the ocular surface, bypredisposing or exacerbating other ocular diseases. Herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) iscaused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). The primary or recurring infection inthe ocular site causes progressive corneal scarring that may result in visual impairment.The present study was designed to study the immunopathological changes of acute HSKunder urban polluted air, using the acute HSK model combined with an experimentalurban polluted air exposure from Buenos Aires City. We evaluated the corneal clinicaloutcomes, viral DNA and pro-inflammatory cytokines by RT-PCR and ELISA assays,respectively. Then, we determined the innate and adaptive immune responses in bothcornea and local lymph nodes after HSV-1 corneal by immunofluorescence staining andflow cytometry. Our results showed that mice exposed to polluted air develop a severeform of HSK with increased corneal opacity, neovascularization, HSV-1 DNA andproduction of TNF-a, IL-1b, IFN-g, and CCL2. A high number of corneal residentimmune cells, including activated dendritic cells, was observed in mice exposed topolluted air; with a further significant influx of bone marrow-derived cells including GR1+ cells (neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes), CD11c+ cells (dendritic cells), and CD3+ (T cells) during acute corneal HSK. Moreover, mice exposed to polluted air showed apredominant Th1 type T cell response over Tregs in local lymph nodes during acute HSKwith decreased corneal Tregs. These findings provide strong evidence that urban pollutedair might trigger a local imbalance of innate and adaptive immune responses thatexacerbate HSK severity. Taking this study into account, urban air pollution should beconsidered a key factor in developing ocular inflammatory diseases.Fil: Sendra, Victor German. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Tau, Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Zapata, Gustavo Leonardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Lasagni Vitar, Romina Mayra. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Illian, Eduardo. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación.Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán"; ArgentinaFil: Chiaradía, Pablo. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Berra, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentin

Epidemiological surveillance of herpesviral encephalitis in Cordoba, Colombia

Objetive To establish an epidemiological surveillance of viral herpes encephalitis in major hospitals of Monteria, Cordoba. Methods From September 2009 to December 2011, a descriptive study of cases of viral encephalitis was made in three hospitals in the city of Monteria. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 118 patients were included in the study. Clinical aspects, as well as cytochemical and microbiological analysis (Gram stain and culture) of CSF, were used for selecting the patients. Virus detection was performed by using multiplex nested PCR for Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, Epstein Barr virus, Cytomegalovirus and Varicella zoster virus.Results Viral DNA of herpesvirus was detected in the CSFs of 30 (25.4 %) participants, as follows: 22 (18.6 %) Herpes simplex 1 and 2 viruses, 4 (3.3 %) Cytomegalovirus and 1 (0.8 %) Varicella zoster virus. Co-infections were observed in 3 patients (2.5 %), 1 case by HSV-VZV and 2 cases by CMV/HSV. The clinical manifestations of the patients included: headache (18.6 %), fever (14.4 %), asthenia (10.1 %), seizures (9.3 %), vomiting (8.4 %), and stiff neck (5.9 %). Thirty percent of the patients also had HIV-AIDS. A case fatality rate of 20 % was observed for the patients.Conclusions This paper shows that herpesvirus is a cause of infection of the CNS in patients from Cordoba. This study contributes to the epidemiology of encephalitis, as well as to patient management