The pathogenicities of Cylindrocarpon tonkinense and Fusarium solani in the rabbit cornea.

The pathogenicity of Cylindrocarpon tonkinense in the cornea was evaluated and compared with that of Fusarium solani in rabbits. F. solani was inoculated into the right eyes of 14 rabbits and C. tonkinense was into the left eyes of same rabbits. The corneal lesions of both eyes were examined carefully by slit lamp every day for three weeks and the severity of infections were compared each other. For histopathologic study, several eyes were enucleated periodically. C. tonkinense has a pathogenicity equally strong as F. solani in this inoculum size (10(4) microconidia per cornea) and produced severe infection in rabbit eyes.