Antichlamydial activity of lacrimal fluid in patients with trachoma

The effect of lacrimal fluid on the growth of Chlamydia trachomatis in cycloheximide-treated McCoy cells was studied in 172 persons with active trachoma (Group A), in 54 with scarring trachoma (Group B) and in 40 healthy subjects (Group C). The patients in groups A and B were treated with tetracycline eye ointment for 4-6 weeks after which tears were collected for retesting. Pooled lacrimal fluid from patients with active trachoma, collected before treatment, had a higher antichlamydial activity compared with healthy individuals. No reduction of the chlamydial inclusion count was seen with such fluid from patients with scarring trachoma. After tetracycline treatment, patients with active trachoma had a slight decrease in their inhibitory activity. In patients with scarring trachoma, the treatment did not significantly reduce the inclusion count. Antichlamydial antibodies were detected more often in patients with active trachoma than in patients with scarring trachoma, while the healthy individuals had no such antibodies. Ultrafiltered and nonfiltered lacrimal fluids were equally effective in inhibiting C. trachomatis inclusion-formation. The inhibitory principle had a molecular weight of less than 10,000 Da.