Spread of Virus and Distribution of Latent Infection Following Ocular Herpes Simplex in the Non-immune and Immune Mouse

1 Department of Microbiology and 2 Department of Ophthalmology, The Medical School, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K. In both non-immune and immune mice infected with herpes simplex virus the incidence of latent infection of the trigeminal ganglion was related to the severity of ocular virus infection. During primary infection, virus was shown to travel via the ophthalmic part of the ganglion to reach the brainstem, from where centrifugal spread resulted in latent infection of neurones in the trigeminal ganglion which did not serve the site of inoculation. Primary infection also resulted in latent infection of the superior cervical ganglion. Shedding of virus occurred rarely in the tears of animals which had recovered from primary disease. In immune mice, spread of virus resulted in a much lower incidence of latent infection and that occurred only in ophthalmic neurones. Keywords: ocular HSV, latent infection, trigeminal ganglion Received 6 April 1982; accepted 30 June 1982.