Inner Ear Damage Induced by Bacteria (Mycobacterium fortuitum)

Morphological and Functional Disorders of the Vestibular Organs

Abstract

The morphological and functional disorders of the vestibular organs were investigated in mice injected with Mycobacterium fortuitum (M. fortuitum).
M. fortuitum induced severe morphological damages no t only in the vestibular sensory cells but also in the vestibular ganglion cells and nerves. These morphological changes were observed 2 weeks after inoculation of M. fortuitum. The degeneration of vestibular ganglion cells and nerves seemed to be caused by a direct action of M. fortuitum. The disorders of the vestibular functions also became apparent 2 weeks after inoculation. These findings indicated certain correlation between the morphological and the functional disorders.