ABSTRACT
            Background and objectives: Pterygium is a non-cancerous growth of conjunctival tissue that can extend onto the corneal surface. The presence of some oncogenic viruses in pterygium and the neoplastic nature of these lesions led us to the postulated involvement of the viruses in the etiology of pterygium. Given the association of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) with ocular diseases, we aimed to investigate presence of this virus in pterygium.
            Methods: Fifty tissue specimens were collected from patients with pterygium who underwent pterygium surgery between February 2013 and May 2015. The specimens were tested by real-time PCR using Maxima SYBR Green/ROX qPCR Master Mix (2X) kit. Demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed using SPSS software (version 18).
            Results: Six (12 %) specimens were positive for HHV-6 DNA. There was no statistically significant correlation between pterygium and presence of HHV-6.
            Conclusion: Based on the results, a direct association between HHV-6 and development of pterygium seems less probable, which suggests that other etiologic agents must be involved in the multistep process of the disease.
            Keywords: Human Herpesvirus 6; pterygium; Real-time PCR.