Differences in the pathogenesis of bacteria isolated from contact-lens-induced infiltrative conditions.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of gram-negative bacteria isolated from the non-infectious condition contact-lens-induced acute red eye (CLARE) and infectious microbial keratitis (MK) to infect the eyes of mice.


METHODS
One cornea of BALB/c mice was scratched with a needle and 5 x 10(6) bacteria applied. Bacterial types used were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae, Serratia marcescens, Stenotrophomonas moltophilia and Aeromonas hydrophilia. The mice were killed after 1, 4 and 24 h and examined by slit lamp, histology and microbiology.


RESULTS
CLARE strains were unable to infect the mouse corneas. The eyes inoculated with the CLARE strains had low levels of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) in the stroma. All eyes that had MK contained bacteria and large numbers of PMN after 24 h.


CONCLUSIONS
The development of CLARE or MK is dependent on the type of bacteria with specific bacterial types being responsible for CLARE or MK.
Willcox
M D
MD
Cooperative Research Centre for Eye Research and Technology, School of Optometry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. m.willcox@cclru.randwick.unsw.edu.au
Hume
E B
EB
D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001424:Bacterial Infections; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003315:Cornea / Q000382:microbiology; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D007634:Keratitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C