Role of viruses in the etiology of follicular conjunctivitis

ABSTRACT

Sixty-two cases of clinically diagnosed non-trachomatous conjunctivitis were included in this study. All patients were subjected to thorough clinical and ophthalmologic examination. Laboratory investigations were carried out for the isolation and identification of the viral agents. The laboratory confirmed cases of follicular conjunctivitis comprised Herpes simplex [20], epidemic keratoconjunctivitis due to adenovirus [8] and Newcastle disease [2]. Varicella zoster conjunctivitis was clinically diagnosed in 3 cases, but the virus was not isolated in any of them. Moreover, conjunctivitis medicamentosa and conjunctivitis associated with chronic tonsillitis were clinically diagnosed, each in 3 cases. It is concluded that clinical diagnosis of viral follicular conjunctivitis is sometimes difficult, and appropriate laboratory tests are imperative in establishing the viral etiology