Light and electron microscopic changes in corneas of healthy and immunomodulated calves infected with Moraxella bovis

Thirty-nine Holstein calves (50 to 100 kg and 2 to 3 months old) were randomly assigned to 4 groups. Calves in group I (n = 12) were inoculated with Moraxella bovis and were euthanatized 24 hours (6 calves) or 8 days after inoculation (6 calves). Group-II calves (n = 12) were treated with hydroxyurea for 6 days, and then 6 of these calves were inoculated with M bovis. The daily hydroxyurea treatments continued for 14 days, and then all calves in group II were euthanatized. Group-III calves (n = 9) were administered dexamethasone parenterally, beginning 24 hours before inoculation with M bovis, and then daily thereafter, until they were euthanatized at either 24 hours (n = 5) or 8 days (n = 4). Group-IV calves (n = 6) were inoculated with M bovis, and euthanatized 12 hours later. Tears were collected from all calves that had been inoculated more than 24 hours earlier. The concentration of myeloperoxidase and collagenase was determined for each sample. After the calves were euthanatized, the corneas were dissected free, fixed, and examined by use of scanning or transmission electron microscopy, or light microscopy. Microscopic corneal erosions were detected 12 hours after inoculation. These lesions were not accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration and were detected by use of scanning electron microscopy. Inflammatory cells were first observed in the corneal lesions in specimens collected 24 hours after inoculation. Bacteria that resembled M bovis morphologically were seen in several locations in these lesions. By 8 days, corneas of the group-I calves had the least number of intracorneal bacteria, compared with the corneas from other groups. The number of calves that developed corneal ulcers by 8 days was similar in all groups. The corneal ulcers of the hydroxyurea-treated calves were shallower, but appeared larger in surface area than those of the controls. By 8 days after inoculation, the corneal ulcers of the dexamethasone-treated calves had less corneal neovascularization and opacification than did the controls. Corneal perforations developed in 2 eyes of the dexamethasone-treated calves, but did not develop in any eyes of the controls. Microscopically, a larger number of M bovis were observed in corneas of dexamethasone-treated calves than in corneas of calves from other groups. Collagenase was not detected in any tear samples. The concentration of myeloperoxidase in tear samples were significantly (P less than 0.05) higher in the prehydroxyurea-treatment samples than in the posttreatment samples from corresponding calves.