Open AccessComplement Depletion Renders C57BL/6 Mice Sensitive to the Bacillus anthracis Sterne Strain
Author(s) -
Eric T. Harvill,
Gloria Lee,
Vanessa K. Grippe,
Tod J. Merkel
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
infection and immunity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.508
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1070-6313
pISSN - 0019-9567
DOI - 10.1128/iai.73.7.4420-4422.2005
Subject(s) - bacillus anthracis , biology , strain (injury) , microbiology and biotechnology , complement (music) , complement component 5 , complement system , bacteria , phenotype , immunology , genetics , antibody , complementation , gene , anatomy
Concerns regarding safety and control of virulent Bacillus anthracis have created substantial hurdles to the study of anthrax. The Sterne strain is considered relatively safe to study, but this acapsular strain has a defect in normal mice and is often studied in A/J mice. A/J mice are highly susceptible to the Sterne strain, due to a defect in the Hc locus, which encodes complement factor 5 (C5). Here we show that normally resistant C57BL/6 mice become highly susceptible to the Sterne strain upon complement depletion with cobra venom factor. This generalizable approach should allow the virulence of anthrax to be studied under relatively safe conditions and using a wide variety of mouse strains.