Open AccessDisease progression in mice exposed to low-doses of aerosolized clinical isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei
Author(s) -
Sylvia R. Treviño,
Christopher P. Klimko,
Matthew Reed,
Michael J. Aponte-Cuadrado,
Melissa Hunter,
Jennifer L. Shoe,
Joshua Meyer,
Jennifer L. Dankmeyer,
Sergei S. Biryukov,
Avery V. Quirk,
Kristen A. Fritts,
Steven J. Kern,
David P. Fetterer,
Lara J. Kohler,
Ronald G. Toothman,
Joel A. Bozue,
Christopher W. Schellhase,
Norman Kreiselmeier,
Sharon Daye,
Susan L. Welkos,
Carl Soffler,
Patricia L. Worsham,
David M. Waag,
Kei Amemiya,
Christopher K. Cote
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0208277
Subject(s) - melioidosis , burkholderia pseudomallei , virulence , microbiology and biotechnology , pathogenesis , immune system , biology , infectious dose , infectious disease (medical specialty) , disease , virology , burkholderia , aerosolization , immunology , bacteria , medicine , gene , pathology , virus , genetics , anatomy , inhalation , biochemistry
Mouse models have been essential to generate supporting data for the research of infectious diseases. Burkholderia pseudomallei , the etiological agent of melioidosis, has been studied using mouse models to investigate pathogenesis and efficacy of novel medical countermeasures to include both vaccines and therapeutics. Previous characterization of mouse models of melioidosis have demonstrated that BALB/c mice present with an acute infection, whereas C57BL/6 mice have shown a tendency to be more resistant to infection and may model chronic disease. In this study, either BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice were exposed to aerosolized human clinical isolates of B . pseudomallei . The bacterial strains included HBPUB10134a (virulent isolate from Thailand), MSHR5855 (virulent isolate from Australia), and 1106a (relatively attenuated isolate from Thailand). The LD 50 values were calculated and serial sample collections were performed in order to examine the bacterial burdens in tissues, histopathological features of disease, and the immune response mounted by the mice after exposure to aerosolized B . pseudomallei . These data will be important when utilizing these models for testing novel medical countermeasures. Additionally, by comparing highly virulent strains with attenuated isolates, we hope to better understand the complex disease pathogenesis associated with this bacterium.