Figure 5
Visual axis is not compromised in vaccinated mice. C57BL/6 mice (n = 10/group) were injected in the footpad with the HSV-1 parental (GFP105) or live-attenuated HSV-1 0ΔNLS at 105 plaque forming units (PFU) in 10 µl PBS. At day 21 post immunization, the mice were boosted with the same amount of either parental or live-attenuated HSV-1 virus and left for 30 days. Thirty days after boosting, mice were evaluated for mechanosensory function, edema, and peripheral vision (day 0) prior to challenge with HSV-1 (104 PFU/cornea). At day 15 post infection, the mice were evaluated for (A) mechanosensory function measured by an esthesiometer, (B) cornea edema measured by optical coherence tomography and (C) visual acuity by optokinetic tracking. Mice were then exsanguinated and the corneas removed, processed, and stained for blood (red, CD31+) and lymphatic (green, Lyve-1+) vessels with images captured by confocal microscopy. A non-vaccinated mouse cornea stained in the same manner shows blood and lymphatic vessel genesis into the central cornea. The “C” indicates the location of the central cornea. The white dotted line depicts the limbus/cornea border. The scale bars are depicted at 100 µm.
