Searching for intraocular antibody production against Parvovirus B19, Mumps virus and Measles virus in patients with intermediate and posterior uveitis.

摘要

Uveitis is a destructive ocular inflammation and is caused by either infectious agents or non-infectious immune reactions. The aetiology is still unknown in about 50% of the patients. The distinction between an infectious and non-infectious aetiology is crucial for treatment and prognosis. The main infectious agents in the West include Toxoplasma gondii, Herpes simplex virus (HSV), Varicella zoster virus (VZV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Rubella virus, pathogens which are also the most frequent causes of congenital and childhood infections. Several case reports have mentioned uveitis following Parvovirus, Mumps or Measles infection. Despite the MMR-vaccination programme, Mumps and Measles outbreaks continue to occur. We hypothesised that other common viral childhood infections might also be able to incite uveitis and selected Parvovirus B19, Mumps virus and Measles virus as the most likely candidates. We included specific classified uveitis entities occurring at a relatively young age: intermediate uveitis, neuroreti-nitis and focal chorioretinitis of non-toxo-plasmic origin. The classification of uveitis was based on clinical characteristics, according to the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature Working Group. Immunocompromised patients and patients with known causes of uveitis were excluded.