The immune system in experimental Pseudomonas keratitis. Model and early effects. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1986 Apr;27(4):507-15
Date
04/01/1986Pubmed ID
3082789Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0022634157 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 30 CitationsAbstract
A model to study the immune system in Pseudomonas keratitis was developed using defined flora rats (WAG/RijMCW) that have not been exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. One group of rats was made immunocompetent towards P. aeruginosa by intraperitoneal injection of phenol-killed P. aeruginosa while a second group remained naive to this organism. Corneas of both groups were scratched centrally with a 21-g needle, before inoculation with 2 X 10(8) P. aeruginosa organisms. Corneas of control animals were either only scratched or only inoculated with the bacterium. At 18 hr, the naive animals were killed. In naive rat corneas, light and electron microscopy showed bacteria throughout the cornea, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) distributed from the limbus towards the center, and little stromal degradation. In contrast, massive corneal degradation was observed in the immunocompetent rats; PMNs were present, but no bacteria were observed free in the stroma. The total acid protease content was higher in the immunocompetent than in the naive rat corneas, a possible reason for the observed difference in corneal degradation. This difference was not due to increased numbers of PMNs since nearly equal numbers of PMNs were counted after enzymatic disaggregation of both types of corneas. Glycogen-induced peritoneal PMNs from both types of rats migrated equally well towards P. aeruginosa culture media and media of corneas incubated with this bacterium. The authors conclude that immune recognition is (1) involved in the corneal host response to P. aeruginosa and (2) required for efficient phagocytosis by PMNs but not their recruitment.
Author List
Twining SS, Lohr KM, Moulder JEAuthor
Sally S. Twining PhD Assistant Dean, Professor in the Biochemistry department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsCell Movement
Chemotaxis
Cornea
Disease Models, Animal
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Keratitis
Leukocytes
Phagocytosis
Pseudomonas Infections
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Rats
