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Abstract
Scanning electron microscopic observations of experimentally induced dendritic lesions in rabbit corneas were correlated with those obtained with light and transmission electron microscopy of the same tissues. A sharply demarcated central zone of ulceration (zone A) was noted which contained many degenerating epithelial cells, possibly derived from the bordering cells and from the basal layers. These had a rounded configuration and averaged 10µ in diameter. Transmission electron microscopy of these cells showed particles resembling herpes simplex virus between cells and in their nuclei and cytoplasm. An adjacent zone of epithelium (zone B) presented a depressed appearance with scalloping of individual cells. The configuration of the outer margins of the lesions resembled that of the border between zones A and B. The linear branching pattern of the figure may be the result of spread of the virus from cell to cell, modified by guiding factors such as temporary local cellular resistance to infection or neuronal pathways.