The Journal of Experimental Medicine
Keystone Symposia
  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Services
Right arrow Email this article
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new content in the JEM
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Grayston, J. T.
Right arrow Articles by Woolridge, R. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Grayston, J. T.
Right arrow Articles by Woolridge, R. L.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Vol 115, 1009-1022, Copyright, 1962, by The Rockefeller Institute

ARTICLE

THE EFFECT OF TRACHOMA VIRUS VACCINE ON THE COURSE OF EXPERIMENTAL TRACHOMA INFECTION IN BLIND HUMAN VOLUNTEERS

J. Thomas Grayston M.D.1, San-Pin Wang M.D.1, Yen-Fei Yang M.D.1, and Robert L. Woolridge D.Sc.1

1 From the United States Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 (NAMRU-2), and the National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan

The TRIC-Taiwan-1-1958 strain of elementary body virus isolated from a trachoma patient on Taiwan has been proven capable of reproducing trachoma by experimental inoculation of six human volunteers. Virus material derived from the seventh passage in embryonated hen eggs caused the clinical picture of trachoma in every inoculation, even at the dilution of 10–4 of infected yolk sacs (approximately 1 EID50). There was a similar clinical picture with each inoculation beginning with an acute follicular conjunctivitis which progressed for 4 months and then persisted with chronic changes until 9 months when treatment was begun. The illness was generally more acute than would be expected in natural trachoma. That trachoma was reproduced was shown by the involvement of the cornea with epithelial keratitis and pannus, and by the occurrence of gelatinous follicles and eventual cicatrization of the conjunctiva. These clinical findings were supported by repeated demonstrations of typical inclusion bodies of Halberstaedter-Prowazek from conjunctival and even corneal cells, by repeated reisolation of elementary body virus in egg yolk sacs, and by the development of complement-fixing antibody with a "specific" trachoma antigen in each volunteer. Control inoculations with adenovirus type 4 and normal yolk sac showed different clinical and laboratory findings.

Experimental trachoma vaccine was given to three of the volunteers to study its effect on the course of illness. An antibody response to the vaccine was demonstrated and there was a modification of disease in the volunteers receiving vaccine. While the three volunteers who received placebo each developed cross-infection of their uninoculated eye and had an acute reactivation of the bilateral disease after 1 to 2 months of antibiotic eye ointment therapy, the vaccinated volunteers remained free of infection in uninoculated eyes and showed no relapse after ointment therapy.

Treatment with sulfamethoxypyridazine, a sulfa drug with prolonged action, proved to be an effective and relatively simple method of therapy for experimental trachoma.

 Submitted on December 18, 1961


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:



  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search
TABLE OF CONTENTS