RELATION BETWEEN THE VIRUS OF TRACHOMA AND THE VIRUS OF INCLUSION BLENNORRHEA

Abstract

The association of inclusion blennorrhea of the newborn with a genital disease of the mother was first discussed by Fritsch, Hofstätter and Lindner.¹ They showed that the secretion from the vagina of a mother whose baby had inclusion blennorrhea was infectious for the conjunctivas of baboons. Thygeson and Mengert² were able to infect the cervix of a baboon with material from a person with inclusion blennorrhea. In a previous communication³ it was shown that the inclusion bodies found in the conjunctival epithelial cells occurred in similar types of cells in the cervix. Lindner⁴ recommended the term "paratrachoma" for all diseases produced by the genital inclusion virus and suggested that they may be closely related to trachoma ; he⁵ expressed the belief that "paratrachoma" may represent an initial stage of mild trachoma that does not result in scarring or in pannus formation. Lindner⁴ inoculated the virus