THE ROLE OF THE INNATE IMMUNE-SYSTEM IN THE RECONSTITUTED SCID MOUSE MODEL OF HERPETIC STROMAL KERATITIS

Herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK) has an immunopathological basis, thou ght primarily to involve a CD4(+) T cell-mediated immune response to v iral antigen. Other cell types, however, particularly those involved i n nonspecific immunity, such as natural killer (NK) cells or neutrophi ls, may also contribute to tissue destruction in the cornea. The recon stituted SCID mouse model of HSK provides a powerful system in which t o study the interactions of the innate and adaptive immune responses t o herpes simplex virus type 1 corneal infection. In the present study, reconstituted SCID mice depleted of NK cells had a reduced incidence and severity of clinical and histopathological HSK. The levels of T ce ll cytokine protein and message in restimulated splenocytes and cytoki ne message in corneas did not differ between experimental groups. Howe ver, significantly fewer neutrophils were seen within the inflamed cor neas of NK-depleted SCID mice. Therefore, endogenous NK cells may indi rectly influence the severity of HSK in reconstituted SCID mice by aff ecting neutrophil migration into the cornea. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.