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Peripheral nervous system involvement in experimental tuberculosis.
Pathologia Et Microbiologia
|January 1, 1975
Summary
Mycobacteria regularly invade the mouse peripheral nervous system after intravenous injection. Virulence impacts granuloma formation, and prior immunization slows bacillary multiplication and alters nodule development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Mycobacteria can affect the peripheral nervous system.
- The specific mechanisms of mycobacterial neuroinvasion and the host response are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neuroinvasion patterns of different mycobacterial strains in mice.
- To characterize the host immune response within the peripheral nervous system following mycobacterial infection.
Main Methods:
- Intravenous injection of various mycobacterial strains (BCG, Mycobacterium intracellulare, virulent Ravenel strain) into mice.
- Histopathological examination of peripheral nerves and autonomic ganglia.
- Assessment of host immune cell infiltration and nodule formation.
Main Results:
- Mycobacteria were consistently found in the peripheral nervous system from day 5 post-injection.
- Low virulence strains (BCG, M. intracellulare) caused limited nodule development.
- A virulent strain (Ravenel) induced extensive granulomas lacking epithelioid cells.
- In previously immunized mice, bacillary multiplication was slower, nodules were less frequent, and lymphoid infiltration occurred earlier.
Conclusions:
- The peripheral nervous system is a regular target for mycobacteria following intravenous inoculation.
- Mycobacterial virulence and host immunization status significantly influence the neuropathological response and granuloma formation.