Author:

Keywords:

Animals, Chlamydia Infections, Chlamydia trachomatis, Cornea, Culture Techniques, Cytoplasm, Epithelium, Inclusion Bodies, Keratitis, Rabbits, Time Factors, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Ophthalmology, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1109 Neurosciences, 1113 Opthalmology and Optometry, Ophthalmology & Optometry, 3202 Clinical sciences, 3209 Neurosciences, 3212 Ophthalmology and optometry

Abstract:

Rabbit corneas were inoculated three times at weekly intervals with the agent of chlamydia trachomatis using the scratch method. Specimens of the corneal epithelium were obtained using the replica technique on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th day after each inoculation and at two weeks after the last inoculation. The development of chlamydial inclusions and the inflammatory cell response were monitored using Giemsa stain, acridine orange stain and direct immunofluorescent technique. Primary inoculation produced mild clinical disease associated cytologically with polymorphonuclear leucocytic cellular inflammatory response. Repeated inoculations produced more severe disease associated clinically with pannus formation and cytologically with the presence of lymphocytes and Leber cells in addition to polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Halberstaedter Prowazek inclusion bodies were detected in all the specimens. Additional intracytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions of different morphological appearances were present. The cytological findings detected in the corneal epithelium of rabbits were correlated with the findings in McCoy tissue culture cells inoculated with chlamydia trachomatis.