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Published on: July 27, 2010
Influence of the inoculation route in BALB/c mice infected by Leishmania infantum
Nuno Rolão1, Cláudia Melo, Lenea Campino
1Lenea Campino, Unidade de Leishmanioses/Centro, Malária Outras Doenças Tropicais/Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical/Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira, 96, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal.
Abstract:
Mice of the BALB/c strain are frequently used, due to their high susceptibility to Leishmania infection. Most of the studies in visceral leishmaniasis use the endovenous or the intraperitoneal routes to inoculate the parasites. In this study, the development of experimental visceral leishmaniasis infection was evaluated in BALB/c mice inoculated with Leishmania infantum parasites by endovenous (EV group) or intraperitoneal (IP group) routes. The results shows that both inoculation routes were able to produce progressive infection in mice. However, a higher dispersion of the values of parasite density was detected among the animals of the EV group than the IP group. Our results indicate that the intraperitoneal inoculation results in a higher homogeneity of infections, so we suggest that this route should be preferentially used in experimental infections in the mice model, particularly when pools of samples are required for immune cellular studies.
Insights
For experimental visceral leishmaniasis, intraperitoneal inoculation of Leishmania infantum in BALB/c mice offers more consistent infection levels than endovenous. This homogeneity makes the intraperitoneal route preferable for immune cellular studies.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
- Parasitology
Background:
- BALB/c mice are a standard model for studying Leishmania infections due to their susceptibility.
- Common inoculation routes for experimental visceral leishmaniasis include endovenous (EV) and intraperitoneal (IP).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy and homogeneity of Leishmania infantum infection in BALB/c mice using EV versus IP inoculation routes.
- To determine the optimal inoculation route for reproducible experimental visceral leishmaniasis models.
Main Methods:
- BALB/c mice were inoculated with Leishmania infantum via either the endovenous or intraperitoneal route.
- Parasite density was assessed to evaluate infection progression and variability between groups.
Main Results:
- Both EV and IP inoculation routes successfully established progressive Leishmania infections in mice.
- The intraperitoneal (IP) group exhibited significantly lower dispersion in parasite density values compared to the endovenous (EV) group, indicating greater infection homogeneity.
- The EV group showed higher variability in parasite load among individual animals.
Conclusions:
- Intraperitoneal inoculation of Leishmania infantum in BALB/c mice leads to more homogeneous experimental visceral leishmaniasis.
- The IP route is recommended for experimental models requiring consistent infection levels, especially for immune cellular studies utilizing pooled samples.
