PubMed · 10337813
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T Abe. 1999. [Viral conjunctivitis].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10337813/
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We evaluated the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a diagnostic method in superficial corneoconjunctival herpes and compared it to viral culture. A total of 38 patients were included and divided into 3 groups according to the clinical aspect. Fourteen patients that had a typical clinical aspect for herpes served as reference to evaluate the method. Nine patients had atypical lesions (herpes-suspects) and 15 patients (13 foreign corneal bodies and 2 adenovirus keratoconjunctivitis) made up the control group. All culture positive cases were also positive with the PCR method (in total 10 cases). In the group of herpes-suspects, one case had both a positive viral culture and a positive PCR; four patients that responded well to antiviral therapy had a negative culture and a positive PCR and four patients were negative with both methods. In the control group two cases of foreign bodies were false-positive. As culture was not performed for these cases it is impossible to known if it was a contamination during the PCR procedure or if concomittant viral shedding occurred. Compared to viral culture, a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 87.5% was calculated. PCR seems to be a very sensitive diagnostic method having an acceptable specificity for the diagnosis of superficial ocular herpes simplex disease that proved useful in atypical cases.
Among the potential occupational hazards of microscope use is the transmission of infectious agents among employees. We report a large (145 cases) and costly (+647,000) epidemic of viral conjunctivitis in a microelectronics factory. Spread of the illness appeared to be through sharing of microscopes among employees. Routine handwashing instructions and safety glasses failed to prevent spread of the epidemic. Mandatory screening prior to work and temporary plant shut-down were finally successful. We discuss efforts to control this outbreak and make recommendations to prevent similar epidemics in other workplaces.
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