Herpes gets in your eyes.2 Herpes simplex herpes simplex (hûr`pēz), an acute viral infection of the skin characterized by one or more painful, itching blisters filled with clear fluid. type I, the virus that causes cold sores around the lips, can prove nasty if it gets into the eyes. While cold sores are common, only a small proportion of those who get them ever develop the eye infection. Sequestered se·ques·ter v. se·ques·tered, se·ques·ter·ing, se·ques·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to withdraw into seclusion. 2. To remove or set apart; segregate. See Synonyms at isolate. 3. in nerve cells, the virus activates periodically When the infection repeatedly flares up in the eye, it can scar the cornea cornea: see eye. . Right now, the only way to treat herpes infections is with expensive antiviral medication. Even with treatment, scarring can progress and lead to a loss of vision, says Anthony B. Nesburn of the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. . Nesburn thinks a therapeutic vaccine therapeutic vaccine Immunology A vaccine–eg, Salk's Remune™ intended to treat a viral infection by stimulating the immune system. See Vaccine therapy. may help, and he is testing one in rabbits. Rather than preventing herpes infection, such vaccines would keep the virus under control. Nesburn began by infecting the eyes of rabbits with a strain of herpes simplex 1. Like humans infected with the virus, rabbits can develop recurrent eye disease. Nesburn next gave each animal an injection of the experimental vaccine. He found that the vaccine reduced the incidence of active infection by 50 percent. The results may pave the way for trials of a similar herpes vaccine in humans, Nesburn says. |
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