Corneal changes in nine-banded armadillos with leprosy.

Leprosy is the third leading cause of blindness worldwide; however, little is known about the ocular changes that occur during the disease process. We have studied the eyes of two nine-banded armadillos with experimental Mycobacterium leprae infection by light and electron microscopy. Both animals had been inoculated intracutaneously, one 5 years and the other 2 years previously.

A microscopic study of herpes simplex virus retinopathy in mice.

ICR white mice were inoculated with herpes simplex virus (HSV) type I in the anterior chamber of one eye. Animals were killed at intervals of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 days and both eyes were obtained for light and electron microscopic study of retinal changes. HSV retinopathy developed in 42 (91%) of 46 inoculated eyes.

Identifying HSV infected neurons after ocular inoculation.

ICR mice were inoculated intracamerally with McKrae strain herpes simplex virus (HSV) followed by intraperitoneal injection with 3H-thymidine. Infected mice were sacrificed after 3 or 4 days and the eyes, trigeminal ganglia (TG) and superior cervical ganglia (SCG) were embedded in glycol methacrylate, sectioned, and dipped for autoradiography. Light microscopy revealed silver grain labeling over neurons in the ipsilateral retina, TG and SCG of infected animals.

Surface features of the conjunctiva and cornea.

Guinea pig corneal and conjunctival surfaces were examined by transmission electron microscopy and cytochemistry. Some specimens of cornea and conjunctiva were examined morphologically; others were stained with ruthenium red or tannic acid before examination to enhance the detection of glycoproteins at cell surfaces. The epithelia were covered by microvilli and on the cornea also by microplicae.