Abstract
Experimental mastitis in the mouse, produced by inoculation with strains of staphylococci and streptococci, proved a convenient model for ultrastructural pathology studies. A staphylococcal strain of relatively high pathogenicity produced gross cellular destruction in addition to less severe changes which included vacuolation of the cytoplasm of secretory epithelial cells, formation of cytosegresomes and increased numbers of densely staining cells with clefts in the cytoplasm. The gross cellular destruction was not observed in mastitis produced by a less pathogenic strain of staphylococcus. Observations on streptococcal mastitis demonstrated movement of cocci from the alveolar lumen through the epithelium. Phagocytosis of cocci by macrophages was observed; some of the ingested cocci showed degenerative changes and residual cell walls were readily identified. The latter process of ingestion appeared common to both cocci and milk protein particles, suggesting that special recognition of cocci by macrophages was not necessary for preliminary phagocytosis. Uninoculated mammary glands examined at corresponding periods showed a variety of cell changes associated with involution and constituted an essential baseline or control in these studies.
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