Ciliary ultrastructure in experimental sinusitis.

Ultrastructure of respiratory cilia was observed in experimental sinusitis of rabbit maxillary sinuses. Sinus mucosa of 15 rabbits was inoculated with Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria and of 16 rabbits with Bacteroides fragilis bacteria. Specimens were taken during 12 weeks' observation 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 of dynein arms and the compound cilia. It seems likely that pneumococcal sinusitis is a more toxic infection to the epithelium causing loss of ciliated cells and cilia than B. fragilis infection. In anaerobic infection ciliary ultrastructure remains normal and dynein arms as well as normal tubular ultrastructure were seen even after 12 weeks' infection.