Studies on ciliated epithelia of the human genital tract. I. Swelling of the cilia of Fallopian tube epithelium in organ cultures infected with Mycoplasma hominis.

Organ cultures of human Fallopian tubes were infected with Mycoplasma hominis. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed swelling of the cilia of the tubal epithelial cells in infected cultures. In some, the entire cilia were swollen; in others, only the tips. Uninfected cultures kept for up to 7 days showed no structural changes in the cilia or other surface structures. M. hominis multiplied in organ cultures, but not in culture medium without tissue. A practical organ culture technique for the preparation of specimens for electron microscopy is described.