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[Establishment of the experimental animal model of Babesia microti]
Yan Lu1, Yu-Chun Cai, Shao-Hong Chen
1National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200025, China.
Objective:
To establish the experimental animal model for the study of Babesia microti.
Methods:
BALB/c mice, immunosuppressive BALB/c mice, SCID mice and NOD-SCID mice were inoculated with B. microti-infected red blood cells (RBC) by intraperitoneal injection respectively. After inoculation, thin blood smears were prepared every day, stained with Giemsa staining and examined for the presence of parasitemia. Three mice were dissected to examine the infectivity in bone marrow, brain, spleen, heart, lung, kidney and liver tissues. The infection rate of erythrocytes in different tissues was recorded, and the relationship between the infectivity of tissues and infection rate in peripheral blood was analyzed. Blood samples infected with B. microti were preserved in liquid nitrogen with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 2 months. The thawed parasitized blood was injected into the BALB/c mice by same route and the parasitemia was monitored.
Results:
The four kinds of mice were all infected by B. microti with parasitemia. The percentage of parasitized red blood cells from peripheral blood were 82.4% (BALB/c mice, d7), 73.2% (immunosuppressive BALB/c mice, d5), 86.4% (SCID mice, d8) and 72.5% (NOD-SCID mice, d8) at the maximum, respectively. Parasitemia decreased rapidly in BALB/c mice, whereas decreased slowly in immunosuppressive BALB/c mice. Only the parasitemia in SCID mice and NOD-SCID mice decreased significantly and tended to picking up again. The parasites were observed in RBCs from bone marrow, brain, spleen, heart, lung, kidney and liver tissues. The infection rate of erythrocytes in tissues increased with an increase of infection in peripheral blood. After cryopreservation, the parasites proliferated in BALB/c mice. Parasitemia appeared after inoculation with frozen infected blood two days later than that of fresh infected blood. The infection rate reached its peak after inoculation with frozen infected blood one day later than that of fresh infected blood.
Conclusion:
The experimental animal model of B. microti has been established. The infection rate of erythrocytes is related to the immune status of the host mice.
Insights
This study establishes an experimental animal model for Babesia microti infection. The infection rate in erythrocytes is influenced by the host mouse
Area of Science:
- Parasitology
- Immunology
- Veterinary Medicine
Context:
- Babesia microti is an emerging tick-borne pathogen causing significant morbidity and mortality.
- Establishing reliable animal models is crucial for understanding B. microti pathogenesis and developing effective treatments.
Purpose:
- To establish and characterize an experimental animal model for Babesia microti.
- To evaluate the infectivity of B. microti in various mouse strains and assess cryopreservation viability.
Summary:
- BALB/c, immunosuppressive BALB/c, SCID, and NOD-SCID mice were inoculated with B. microti.
- Parasitemia and tissue distribution were monitored, revealing that erythrocyte infection rates correlate with host immune status.
- Cryopreserved B. microti maintained infectivity in BALB/c mice, with slight delays in parasitemia onset and peak.
Impact:
- Successfully established a reproducible animal model for Babesia microti research.
- Provides insights into host-parasite interactions and the role of immune status in B. microti infection.
- Validates the use of cryopreserved B. microti for experimental studies.
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