Abstract
In the transmission of experimental trachoma to animals, perhaps the most significant and refractory difficulty is the complete lack of corneal involvement. Except in man where infection followed accidental or intentional transfer of trachomatous material. pannus formation has not accompanied folliculosis experimentally induced in a variety of animals. Since the appearance of cicatricial changes and pannus comprise the essential diagnostic differentiation between trachoma and folliculosis, the necessity is obvious for studying the conditions under which vascularization of the cornea is stimulated. While it is not yet clear that the data thus far obtained may be correlated eventually with pannus formation in trachoma, it is of interest that pannus may be evoked by various stimuli. From this point of view the experiments undertaken are here reported.
The experiments have been done on rabbits;† and because the results of a former study indicated that pannus may be a manifestation of bacterial hypersensitiveness, it was decided to study vascularization of the cornea as an allergic response. Rabbits have been sensitized to different bacteria; Staph. aureus, Bact. granulosis, Pneumococcus, diphtheroids and indifferent streptococci. Various methods for inducing hypersensitiveness of the cornea to bacteria were studied, but the most successful one was scarification of the cornea with one scratch reaching from below the sclero-corneal margin to the pupil, and then instilling into the conjunctival sac 2 drops of a young, actively growing culture. This treatment was repeated at weekly intervals.S. aureus proved to be the most effective sensitizing antigen, while B. granulosis was one of the least.
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