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Abstract
Guinea pig conjunctivas inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes were studied by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The epithelial cell of the conjunctiva was found to phagocytose L. monocytogenes as early as 15 minutes after inocidation, long before the appearance of polymorphonuclear cells. The epithelial cells of the mucous membranes appear to participate actively in the host response to this pathogenic organism.