Researchers Find Ebola Virus in Patient’s Eye Fluid Weeks After It Was Undetectable in Blood

Newswise — Denver, Colo. — On May 7, researchers are reporting a case study in which viable Ebola virus was present in the eye’s aqueous humor — the clear fluid in the front of the eye, between the lens and the cornea — 10 weeks after the virus was no longer detectable in the patient’s blood.

The case study is based on Ebola survivor Ian Crozier, MD. Crozier and four of the physicians who treated him at Emory University Eye Hospital will present the findings on Thursday, May 7, in Denver, Colo., at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

The case study is being published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Ian Crozier, an infectious disease specialist, helped in the fight against the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in August 2014. Within a few weeks, he himself contracted the disease and was evacuated to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in critical condition.

In a session entitled Ebola and the Eye: A Journey of Discovery and Uncertainty, Crozier and a team of ophthalmology and infectious disease physicians from Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will share their perspectives into Crozier’s evacuation, treatment, recovery and subsequent vision-threatening condition, as each of them dealt with the uncertainty and long-term implications of this virus.

After he recovered from Ebola virus disease, Crozier was found to have severe uveitis during his convalescence. Uveitis is an inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye, which contains many of the eye’s blood vessels. The resulting swelling can destroy eye tissues, leading to reduced vision and even severe vision loss.

According to Steven Yeh, MD of the Emory Eye Center, “The presence of viable Ebola virus in the eye could mean that other Ebola survivors may also be at risk for the development of uveitis. The thousands of Ebola survivors in West Africa and health care workers in their home countries will need to be monitored for eye disease in the post-Ebola period.”

Who: Association for Research in Vision and OphthalmologyWhere: Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo., Four Seasons 2 – 4When: Thursday, May 7, 2015, 1:55 – 3:15pm

Presentations:• Ian Crozier, MD, Infectious Diseases Institute, Mulago Hospital Complex, Kampala, Uganda: Perspectives on Ebola Virus Disease: Both Sides of the Curtain • Tim Uyeki, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga.: Update and Challenges in the Management of the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa • Jay B. Varkey, MD, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga: Hospital Course and Infection Control in the Emory Serious Communicable Diseases Unit• Steven Yeh, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Emory Eye Center, Atlanta, Ga.: Ophthalmic Course and Management of Panuveitis Due to Ebola Virus Disease• Jessica G. Shantha, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Emory Eye Center, Atlanta, Ga.: Diagnostic and Treatment Uncertainty in a Novel, Sight-Threatening Disease

For more information, see arvo.org/Annual_Meeting/2015/Program/ARVO_2015_Keynote_Series/

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About ARVOThe Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include nearly 12,000 eye and vision researchers from over 75 countries. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders. Learn more at arvo.org.

About the ARVO Annual MeetingThe Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest gathering of eye and vision researchers in the world, attracting over 11,000 attendees from more than 75 countries. About 45% of our attendees are from outside the U.S. The 2015 meeting is being held in Denver, Colo., May 3 – 7 and is expected to be bring more than $22 million to the city. Learn more at arvo.org/am.