Lack of herpes virus DNA in choroidal tissues of a patient with serpiginous choroiditis.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of herpes viruses in the etiology of serpiginous choroiditis.

DESIGN

Interventional case report.

PARTICIPANT

A 59-year-old male patient with long-term history of serpiginous choroiditis.

INTERVENTION

The patient's affected eye was obtained during autopsy. Polymerase chain reaction was performed in the microdissected choroidal tissues.

RESULTS

Histopathologic examination demonstrated active inflammation with lymphocytic infiltration of the choroid. No viral DNA was amplified using pairs of herpes simplex virus (HSV) P1/P2 (for HSV-1, HSV-2, Epstein-Barr virus [EBV], cytomegalovirus [CMV] and human herpes virus [HHV]-8), and varicella-zoster virus [VZV] P1/P2 (for VZV, HHV-6, HHV-7) in the infiltrating lymphocytes or choroidal tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

The current observation suggests a lack of a role for herpetic viral etiology in the etiopathogenesis of serpiginous choroiditis.