Adenoviruses infections occur world wide in humans, in all age groups and can occur in endemic, localized epidemic and sporadic patterns (Foy, 1989).
Adenoviruses can infect and replicate at various sites in the eye but it was found that the epithelial cells are the primary target for adenoviruses cytopathology m vivo (Horwitz, 1990).
Clinically, infections of the eye with adenoviruses may appear either in the fonn of pharyngoconjunctival fever, acute follicular conjunctivitis as a separate entity or epidemic keratoconjunctivitis. After an incubation period of 7-10 days, the disease begins as a mild follicular conjunctivitis with swelling of both bulbar and palpebral conjunctiva in some cases, Subepithelial corneal keratitis can occur in 5 to 10% of patients that can persist for many months and interfere with vision (Dawson et ai., 1970; Lehnnan, 1984; Kasel, 1992).
According to Jawetz et al., (1989) and Kasel, (1992), adenoviruses exhibit a single type of morphology, a similar chemical composition, replicate in the cell nucleus, and are species-specific. They are nonenveloped and are 65-80 nm in diameter. The capsid proteins are arranged in an icosahedron, having 20 triangular faces in which the 240 hexons are located and 12 vertices carrying the 12 pentons. The virion contains a single molecule of doublestranded DNA in a linear fonn.
In human beings, 42 serotypes have been recognized but most human diseases are associated with only one third of these types (Wigand et al., 1987).
It is important to conflnn the clinical diagnosis by laboratory diagnosis so as to prevent the spread of infection and treat the cases properly. Our study aimed 10 direct detection of adenoviruses in the infected conjunctival epithelial cells by a rapid indirect immunofluorescent (IF) technique
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in cases diagnosed clinically as viral conjunctiv itis. |
