Winter A J, Marwick S, Osborne M, Comis S, Stephen J, Tarlow M
Department of Infection, University of Birmingham, UK.
Acta Otolaryngol. 1996 May;116(3):401-7. doi: 10.3109/00016489609137864.
Experimental meningitis was induced in 16 pigmented guinea pigs by subarachnoid inoculation of mid log-phase 1 x 10(9) E. coli K-12 (n = 8) or 5 x 10(7) Streptococcus pneumoniae type 2 (n = 8). Animals were killed at various times between 3 and 12 h after inoculation and the ultrastructure of the organ of Corti (including the basilar membrane) was examined with high resolution scanning electron microscopy. Both E. coli and S. pneumoniae induced meningitis and invaded scala tympani. In both types of meningitis the apical surface of inner supporting cells developed craters. inner hair cell stereocilia were also disrupted. In pneumococcal meningitis both these lesions were more pronounced but in addition there were breaks in the junctions between inner hair cells and their adjacent supporting cells and there was ballooning and rupture of the apical surface of outer hair cells. Damage to the organ of Corti after bacterial invasion of the inner ear may be one of the mechanisms by which bacterial meningitis can cause deafness. The more severe cochlear lesions induced by S.pneumoniae may explain the higher incidence of deafness after pneumococcal meningitis.
通过蛛网膜下腔接种对数中期的1×10⁹大肠杆菌K - 12（n = 8）或5×10⁷ 2型肺炎链球菌（n = 8），在16只有色豚鼠中诱发实验性脑膜炎。在接种后3至12小时的不同时间处死动物，并用高分辨率扫描电子显微镜检查柯蒂氏器（包括基底膜）的超微结构。大肠杆菌和肺炎链球菌均诱发脑膜炎并侵入鼓阶。在两种类型的脑膜炎中，内支持细胞的顶端表面都出现了凹坑。内毛细胞静纤毛也遭到破坏。在肺炎球菌性脑膜炎中，这两种病变更为明显，但此外，内毛细胞与其相邻支持细胞之间的连接也出现断裂，外毛细胞顶端表面出现气球样变和破裂。细菌侵入内耳后对柯蒂氏器的损伤可能是细菌性脑膜炎导致耳聋的机制之一。肺炎链球菌诱发的更严重的耳蜗病变可能解释了肺炎球菌性脑膜炎后耳聋发生率较高的原因。
