Figure 7.

Examples of corneal disease found in aged (35–36 weeks) wild-type (C57BL/6) mice and SP-D^−/− mice 1 to 4 days after inoculation with P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 (approximately 10⁹ cfu in 5 μL). Corneas were blotted and then treated with EGTA (100 mM in PBS) for 3 hours before inoculation. Two-millimeter cutouts from a soft contact lens were used to retain EGTA at the ocular surface for the 3-hour period. Disease in SP-D^−/− mice became progressively more severe with time; in contrast, wild-type eyes with visible pathology at 24 hours showed little further progression or recovered.