title: Surfactant protein D in Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the importance of surfactant protein D in Pseudomonas keratitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The surfactant D status of wild-type and surfactant D-deficient Black Swiss mice was confirmed by PCR reactions and immunoblot assay. Mouse corneas were infected with one of three strains of P. aeruginosa. At 1, 2, 3, and 6 days postinfection, eyes were scored by slit-lamp examination and bacteria per cornea quantified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Infected wild-type mice had slit-lamp scores on 3 and 6 days postinfection that were significantly lower than those of surfactant D-deficient mice (p <or= .0185) and only wild-type mice recovered from the infection. On day 6 postinfection, the number of bacteria per cornea was found to be significantly lower in wild-type mice as compared to surfactant D-deficient mice (p <or= .0233).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surfactant D is important to the ocular innate host defense against Pseudomonas keratitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hobden
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Balzli
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Denard
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: O'Callaghan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007634:Keratitis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000254:growth & development; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D