Abstract:

Objective To investigate the dynamic changes of varicella-zoster virus（VZV） DNA load and IgG antibody level in aqueous humor of patients with acute retinal necrosis（ARN） who received antiviral treatment and the value in the evaluation of antiviral efficacy. Methods Totally,11 ARN patients receiving 8 weeks of intensive therapy were enrolled,and 100 μL of aqueous humor samples were collected once the patients were diagnosed and then on the 4th day,the 1st,2nd,3rd,4th and 8th weeks. VZV DNA load and VZV IgG antibody levels were determined. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between the logarithmic viral load and other indicators. Results The mean VZV DNA load in aqueous humor of 11 ARN patients before treatment was（6.97±0.57）lg（copies/mL）. With the prolongation of antiviral treatment time,the VZV DNA load in aqueous humor showed an overall downward trend（P<0.000 1）. After 8 weeks of treatment,10 of 11 patients（90.91%） had VZV DNA end up below the determination limit. The VZV IgG antibody level（S/CO value） in aqueous humor of 11 ARN patients was 4.84±1.72 before the treatment,which was positively correlated with the initial VZV DNA load（r=0.45,P<0.05）. After receiving antiviral treatment,the level of VZV IgG antibody in aqueous humor of ARN patients showed a downward trend（P=0.001）. Although the VZV IgG antibody level in aqueous humor of 11 ARN patients after 8 weeks of treatment was lower than that before treatment（P=0.001）,it was still positive. Conclusions The 8-week intensive therapy effectively reduces the VZV load in the eyes of ARN patients. VZV DNA load determination can be used to monitor the progress of ARN disease and reflect the effect of antiviral treatment.

Key words: Varicella-zoster virus, Viral load, IgG antibody, Acute retinal necrosis