Water-filtered Infrared A and visible light (wIRA/VIS) treatment reduces Chlamydia caviae-induced ocular inflammation and infectious load in a Guinea pig model of inclusion conjunctivitis
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2020
Authors
Inić-Kanada, Aleksandra
Stojanović, Marijana

Miljković, Radmila

Stein, Elisabeth

Filipović, Ana
Frohns, Antonia
Zoeller, Nadja
Kuratli, Jasmin
Barisani-Asenbauer, Talin

Borel, Nicole
Article (Published version)

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Trachoma is a devastating neglected tropical disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and the leading global cause of infectious blindness. Although antibiotic treatment against trachoma is efficient (SAFE strategy), additional affordable therapeutic strategies are of high interest. Water-filtered infrared A and visible light (wIRA/VIS) irradiation has proven to reduce chlamydial infectivity in vitro and ex vivo. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether wIRA/VIS can reduce chlamydial infection load and/or ocular pathology in vivo, in a guinea pig model of inclusion conjunctivitis. Guinea pigs were infected with 1 x 10(6) inclusion-forming units/eye of Chlamydia caviae via the ocular conjunctiva on day 0. In infected animals, wIRA/VIS irradiation (2100 W/m(2)) was applied on day 2 (single treatment) and on days 2 and 4 (double treatment) post-infection (pi). wIRA/VIS reduced the clinical pathology score on days 7 and 14 pi and the conjunctival chlamydial load on days 2, 4, 7, and 14... pi in comparison with C. caviae-infected, not irradiated, controls. Furthermore, numbers of chlamydial inclusions were decreased in wIRA/VIS treated C. caviae-infected guinea pigs on day 21 pi compared to C. caviae-infected, non-irradiated, controls. Double treatment with wIRA/VIS (days 2 and 4 pi) was more efficient than a single treatment on day 2 pi. wIRA/VIS treatment did neither induce macroscopic nor histologic changes in ocular tissues. Our results indicate that wIRA/VIS shows promising efficacy to reduce chlamydial infectivity in vivo without causing irradiation related pathologies in the follow-up period. wIRA/VIS irradiation is a promising approach to reduce trachoma transmission and pathology of ocular chlamydial infection.
Keywords:
wIRA/VIS / GPIC / Animal model / In vivo / TrachomaSource:
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B-Biology, 2020, 209Publisher:
- Elsevier Science Sa, Lausanne
Funding / projects:
- h.c. Erwin Braun Foundation, Basel, Switzerland
DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2020.111953
ISSN: 1011-1344
PubMed: 32653859