Coronavirus-Triggered Ocular Autoimmune Reactivity: Experimental Coronavirus Retinopathy

Over the last several decades, dramatic progress has been made in the field of autoimmunity. Despite these advancements, important gaps in our understanding of these diseases remain unresolved. One area of continued interest is the link between autoimmunity and infection. Numerous studies in various other organs reveal clear links between infection and autoimmune disease. However, only a limited number of studies have explored this relationship in the eye. This chapter will highlight what is known about ocular autoimmunity, including examples of infections associated with ocular autoimmunity. We will then turn our attention to coronaviruses and the animal model system called experimental coronavirus retinopathy, ECOR, a virus-triggered retinal degeneration with an autoimmune component. This is the first model developed to link the relationship between an viral infection and retinal autoimmunity.