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A New Murine Model for Gastrointestinal Anthrax Infection
Tao Xie1, Chen Sun, Kadriye Uslu
1Laboratory of Cell Biology, Division of Monoclonal Antibodies, Office of Biotechnology Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Plos One
|July 5, 2013
Summary
Researchers developed a new mouse model for gastrointestinal anthrax using Bacillus anthracis. This model is crucial for studying anthrax infection and testing new treatments.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Animal Models
Background:
- Lack of a practical animal model for gastrointestinal anthrax hinders research.
- Bacillus anthracis infection poses significant public health challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a murine model for gastrointestinal anthrax.
- To evaluate the model's utility in studying disease progression and therapeutic efficacy.
Main Methods:
- Gavage of vegetative Sterne strain Bacillus anthracis into complement-deficient A/J mice.
- Histological analysis of infected tissues and major organs.
- Monitoring of clinical signs, body temperature, and bacteremia.
Main Results:
- Lethal, dose-dependent infections observed within 30 hours to 5 days.
- Bacilli penetrated intestinal villi, disseminating to spleen, liver, kidney, and lung.
- Early intestinal epithelial compromise (villus blunting, ulceration) and decreased body temperature predicted lethality.
- Anthrax bacteremia confirmed in all moribund animals; some showed co-infection.
Conclusions:
- The developed murine model effectively replicates gastrointestinal anthrax.
- The model demonstrates Bacillus anthracis dissemination and host pathology.
- This model is valuable for evaluating anthrax therapeutics, as shown by successful antibiotic treatment.
