Mycoplasmal Anterior and Posterior Uveitis

Mycoplasma arthritidis-induced ocular inflammatory disease

“…Certain species of mycoplasma have occasionally been isolated from uveitis patients (1,10,(15)(16)(17). The possibility that severe ocular lesions might accompany infection with known arthritogenic species of mycoplasma has been a source of interest to other investigators who have sought to duplicate the symptoms of uveitis in experimental animals through intraocular injections of living culture concentrates (19,20,22), although it is well known that the introduction of virtually any proteinaceous compound or microorganism directly into the eye will produce "uveitis. "…”

“…Mycoplasma arthritidis has been the subject of many investigations designed to determine the means whereby this microorganism is able to incite localized inflammations in susceptible strains of rats and mice. With the exception of the cataracts produced in neonatal mice after intracerebral inoculations of the suckling mouse cataract spiroplasma (26), the only reports of intraocular lesions that result from infection with mycoplasmas came from studies in which viable organisms (M. pulmonis) were injected directly into the eyes of experimental animals (19,20,22). Since M. arthritidis is known to incite extensive joint reactions when introduced intravenously into Swiss Webster mice and since mycoplasmas resembling this organism have been isolated from patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis in which iridocyclitis is common (2), an interest arose in the possible uveitogenic ability of this mycoplasma.…”