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Case Reports
. 2023 Jun 30;15(6):e41237.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.41237. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Vitreous Humor Positive for DNA of Human Herpesvirus 7 in Eye With Ocular Toxoplasmosis

Taishi Miyase  1   2 , Kiyofumi Mochizuki  1 , Satoko Kokuzawa  1 , Ikumi Shiraki  1 , Kazuhiro Murata  1 , Hirokazu Sakaguchi  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Vitreous Humor Positive for DNA of Human Herpesvirus 7 in Eye With Ocular Toxoplasmosis

Taishi Miyase et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The aim of this article was to report our findings in a case of infectious uveitis in which the DNAs of both Toxoplasma gondii and human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) were detected in the vitreous fluid. A 31-year-old Brazilian man was examined in our hospital with a one-month history of blurred vision (20/40) in the right eye. He had been diagnosed with ocular toxoplasmosis of the right eye at nine years of age and has had repeated relapses. Because of the persistent vitreous opacities and refractoriness to acetylspiramycin and betamethasone, pars plana vitrectomy was performed. Multiplex PCR of the vitreous sample demonstrated the DNAs for both T. gondii and HHV-7. Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole with prednisone was prescribed. Six months after the beginning of the therapy, a resolution of the retinochoroiditis was found and the vision recovered to 20/25. Two months later, we performed a pars plana vitrectomy for an epiretinal membrane. The DNAs of both T. gondii and HHV-7 were not detected in the vitreous fluid and the epiretinal membrane. After continued treatment, the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the right eye improved to 20/16 and the metamorphopsia was reduced. It is inferred from this work that HHV-7 reactivation can activate refractory infectious uveitis in patients with chronic ocular toxoplasmosis.

Keywords: hhv-7; multiplex pcr; retina surgery; toxoplasmosis gondii; uveitis; vitreous humor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared financial relationships, which are detailed in the next section.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. (A) Vitreous haze and (B) a yellowish-white lesion in the superior nasal region (arrow)
Figure 2
Figure 2. (A) A resolution of the vitreous opacities and (B) the areas of a yellowish-white mass lesion had improved with evidence of scar formation
Figure 3
Figure 3. Optical coherence tomography revealed an epiretinal membrane in the right eye
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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