This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mutwiri, G K Articles by Yager, J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mutwiri, G K Articles by Yager, J

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infect Immun. 1992 October; 60(10): 4074-4079

Experimental infection of severe combined immunodeficient beige mice with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis of bovine origin.

Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

ABSTRACT

Severe combined immunodeficient beige mice were inoculated orally and intraperitoneally with a bovine strain of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis to explore their potential as laboratory animal models in the study of paratuberculosis (Johne's disease). Control animals were similarly inoculated with heat-killed M. paratuberculosis. In the mice inoculated intraperitoneally, focal lesions and acid-fast bacilli were first detected in the livers (4 weeks postinfection) and later in the spleens and intestines of the test but not the control animals. No bacteria were seen in the hearts, kidneys, or lungs. At 12 weeks postinfection, all test mice had significant losses in body weight compared with those in controls (P less than 0.05), a characteristic sign of bovine paratuberculosis. Tumor necrosis factor alpha was not detected in the serum. Histologic lesions were seen in the intestines, livers, and spleens of the animals in the orally inoculated test group after 26 weeks of infection. Our results suggest that the severe combined immunodeficient beige mouse may be a useful model for the investigation of paratuberculosis and cachexia and the evaluation of antimycobacterial drugs.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Harris, N. B., Barletta, R. G. (2001). Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Veterinary Medicine. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 14: 489-512 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Tanaka, S., Itohara, S., Sato, M., Taniguchi, T., Yokomizo, Y. (2000). Reduced Formation of Granulomata in {gamma}{delta} T Cell Knockout BALB/c Mice Inoculated with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Vet Pathol 37: 415-421 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Greig, A., Stevenson, K., Henderson, D., Perez, V., Hughes, V., Pavlik, I., Hines, M. E. II, McKendrick, I., Sharp, J. M. (1999). Epidemiological Study of Paratuberculosis in Wild Rabbits in Scotland. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37: 1746-1751 [Abstract] [Full Text]