J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  1977 Dec;18(4):291-295.

Attempts to Produce an Experimental Phlyetenulosis with BCG

• Youn DH

Abstract

There is general agreement that phlyctenular keratoconjunctivits is a manifestation of bacterial allergy, especially to products of the tubercle bacillus. Although the role of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to produce phlyctenules is well known, the exact mechanism of its production and the nature of involved immune reaction are not certain. Some previous reports informed that phlyctenular conjunctivitis occurred after BCG vaccination in the tuberculinnegative patient. This means that BCG vaccination changes immune balance and m!ly cause phlyctenule. The author attempted to produce phlyctenules in rabbits and guinea pigs in which BCG was used as the antigen to sensitize the animals systemically and PPD, living BCG and killed BCG were used as challenging agents. All but the animals which were injected with living and killed BCG subconjunctivally did not show any response. A primary tuberculosis lesion develo ped in the animals injected with living BCG and a pure abscess occured in the animals injected with killed BCG. It seems evident that the failure to produce phlyctenules in the BCG sensitized animals is ascribed to the relatively low order of sensitivity obtained as judged by the occurrence of primary tuberculosis.

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Animals
Bacillus
Conjunctivitis
Guinea Pigs
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Mycobacterium bovis*
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Rabbits
Tuberculosis
Vaccination