Histopathology in a murine model of anthrax

Systemic anthrax infection is usually fatal even with optimal medical care. Further insights into anthrax pathogenesis are therefore urgently needed to develop more effective therapies. Animal models that reproduce human disease will facilitate this research. Here, we describe the detailed histopathology of systemic anthrax infection in A/J mice infected with Bacillus anthracis Sterne, a strain with reduced virulence for humans. Subcutaneous infection leads to systemic disease with multiple pathologies including oedema, haemorrhage, secondary pneumonia and lymphocytolysis. These pathologies bear marked similarity to primary pathologies observed during human disease. Therefore, this simple, small animal model will allow researchers to study the major pathologies observed in humans, while permitting experimentation in more widely available Biosafety Level 2 facilities.