CILIARY ULTRASTRUCTURE IN EXPERIMENTAL SINUSITIS

Ultrastructure of respiratory cilia was observed in experimental sinus itis of rabbit maxillary sinuses. Sinus mucosa of lj rabbits was inocu lated with Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria and of 16 rabbits with Bac teroides fragilis bacteria. Specimens were taken during 12 weeks' obse rvation time and they were studied by transmission electron microscopy from the cross-sections. A special emphasis was paid to the number of cilia, the ciliary orientation, the tubular anomalies, the presence o f dynein arms and the compound cilia. It seems likely that pneumococca l sinusitis is a more toxic infection to the epithelium causing loss o f ciliated cells and cilia than B. fragilis infection. In anaerobic in fection ciliary ultrastructure remains normal and dynein arms as well as normal tubular ultrastructure were seen even after 12 weeks' infect ion.