Herpetic keratitis in inbred mice.

The corneas of four inbred strains of mice (BALB/c, DBA/2, C3H and C57BL/6) were inoculated with the RE strain of herpes simplex virus, type 1. The corneas were examined at frequent intervals and graded on a scale of 0 (clear cornea) to +5 (severe necrotizing stromal keratitis). At 3 weeks postinfection, the mean corneal scores were: DBA/2, 4.0; BALB/c, 2.2; C3H, 0.7; and C57BL/6, 0.15. The differences between the scores are statistically significant (P less than 0.05), except for the C3H and C57BL/6 strains. The order of severity of corneal disease in these mice corresponds to the order of susceptibility to systemic infection found in these same inbred strains. Additional studies of herpetic keratitis in inbred mice should prove helpful in understanding the genetic and immunologic basis of herpetic stromal keratitis.