Antibodies to Rubella and Human Herpesvirus 6 in Diverse Retinal Diseases

Rubella virus is well known as a cause of pigmentary retinopathy in intrauterine infections. Recently, on the basis of serologic and immunologic evidence, it has been implicated in the pathogenesis of retinitis pigmentosa and diverse retinal diseases including retinal detachment, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. We therefore tested sera for rubella antibody in various groups of retinal disease patients and in age- and sex-matched controls. There is evidence that human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is involved in retinitis in immunosuppressed patients. We tested the hypothesis that it may be associated with retinal pathology in nonimmunosuppressed patients.