Experimental herpetic keratitis in rabbit corneal organ cultures.

An in-vitro method for maintaining rabbit corneal organ cultures for short periods of time is described. These cultures supported replication of strains of type 1 and 2 herpes simplex virus, and changes typical of herpetic infections of the cornea in vivo were observed by light microscopy, and by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Infectious virus was readily recovered from inoculated corneal organ cultures. For practical, economic and humanitarian reasons, the full potential of this system warrants further investigation.