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The mechanism of specific vaccine therapy in herpetic eye disease was studied. The effectiveness of the therapy in the observation period of 3 to 8 years was established. In 71 (62%) of 114 patients relapses of the disease disappeared completely, in 32 (26%) became less frequent and in 11 (10%) their frequency did not change. The clinical course of relapses in all cases became milder. The vaccination courses given were shown not to influence the level of virusneutralizing antibody but to induce the appearance in the lacrimal fluid of immunoglobulins G and M and to increase considerably the level of IgA. The vaccint therapy enhanced the reactions of cell-mediated immunity which was manifested in increased specific blasttransformation of lymphocytes (up to 18%) and reduced the migrational capacity of leucocytes to inactivated antigen of herpesvirus. The effect of the vaccine persisted only for a few months. The immunological and clinical analyses showed that it was expedient to give vaccine in courses at 6--12-month intervals after an attack of herpes.

The ratio of the values of lymphocyte blast transformation and leukocyte migration inhibition to the level of humoral antibodies, detection of HSV antigen in the eye and activity of the clinical process in the time course of disease was studied in 213 patients with ophthalmoherpes. The immunological markers characterizing the features of pathogenesis and prognosis of herpetic eye disease were determined. In the favourable course of ophthalmoherpes blast transformation of 5-10% and stable migration inhibition throughout the disease were observed. A decrease in the functional activity of lymphocytes determined in the blast transformation test with phytohemagglutinin, the lack of specific blast transformation and migration inhibition, as well as marked increase of blast formation (above 10-15%) are the factors aggravating the course of the disease. The infectious and infectious-allergic period in the course of ophthalmoherpes were identified. The infectious stage was characterized by changes in the values of both cellular and humoral immunity. In the infectious-allergic stage cellular immunity reactions prevail in the presence of stable humoral antibody levels.

The dynamics of leukocyte migration inhibition test (LMIT) and blast-transformation (BT) with herpes antigen were studied in 132 patients with ophthalmoherpes, 40 patients with obscure etiology of the eye disease and 40 normal donors. The specific response in LMTT was manifested by both inhibition and stimulation of leukocyte migration. Specific inhibition of leukocyte migration is detected mostly in exacerbations of the clinical process and may serve as a diagnostic sign of activation of herpetic infection in the patient. The specific blast-transformation in the group of patients with ophthalmoherpes was much higher by the rate and level if reaction than in control groups. The maximum level of BTT (up to 25%) was demonstrated in the favourable course of the disease; in severe processes the level was low (up to 2.7%) or the capacity of blast formation was lacking. The test may be prognostic in herpes infections of the eyes.