An Experimental Animal Model of Adenovirus-Induced Ocular Disease

The adenoviruses are a common cause of eye disease in humans and clinically cause three basic syndromes: epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, pharyngo-conjunctival fever, and nonspecific follicular conjunctivitis. Although many serotypes of the adenovirus have been implicated, types 8, 19, and 37 are associated most commonly with ocular disease. There has not been a well-defined and reproducible animal model of this disease. The eyes of cotton rats inoculated with either adenovirus type 5 or type 8 developed clinical features similar to those seen in epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, with subepithelial corneal opacities, seroconversion, and virus shedding. The infectivity of adenovirus type 8 in a control animal illustrated the highly contagious nature of the disease. We conclude that ocular inoculation of at least some adenoviruses (ie, types 5 and 8) in the cotton rat produces an in vivo model for the study of adenovirus-induced ocular disease in humans.