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EXPERIMENTAL MURINE LEPROSY
Author(s) -
Closs Otto,
Haugen Olav A.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica section a pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0365-4184
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb00374.x
Subject(s) - bacilli , biology , inbred strain , leprosy , immune system , host response , strain (injury) , host (biology) , microbiology and biotechnology , mycobacterium , immunology , infiltration (hvac) , bacteria , genetics , gene , anatomy , physics , thermodynamics
Female mice of the outbred strain NMRI, and the five inbred strains AKR, BALB/c, C3H, C57/BL, and White Label were infected with Mycobacterium lepraemurium. Infectious lesions in the liver were evaluated histologically with regard to the type of inflammatory reaction and content of bacilli. In the outbred strain the host response of individual mice varied considerably. This variation diminished if a large inoculum was used and the infection allowed to proceed for a long time. Within the inbred strains individual animals showed a more uniform type of reaction. However, clear differences in the host response to murine leprosy could be demonstrated in these strains, most markedly between the strains C3H and C57/BL. In C3H, the infection seemed to make uninhibited progress and the granulomas contained large numbers of bacilli with few or no surrounding lymphocytes. The granulomas of C57/BL mice contained fewer bacilli and regularly showed infiltration by lymphocytes. However, after a large inoculum of bacilli this difference in host response seemed less evident. The present study confirms our previous observation that outbred mice differ in their host response to murine leprosy. Evidence is presented that this variation is due to differences in the ability of individual mice to mount a cell mediated immune response against the mycobacterium. The capability to respond is shown to depend on genetic factors of the host.