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Mouse model of pulmonary blastomycosis: utility, simplicity, and quantitative parameters
The American Review of Respiratory Disease
|April 1, 1978
Summary
This study establishes a quantitative murine model for pulmonary mycosis caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis. The model allows for reproducible infection and assessment of fungal burden, host response, and therapeutic efficacy in pulmonary fungal disease.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Pulmonary mycoses, particularly those caused by dimorphic fungi like Blastomyces dermatitidis, pose significant health challenges.
- Developing reliable animal models is crucial for understanding disease pathogenesis and evaluating antifungal therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively define a murine model for pulmonary mycosis using Blastomyces dermatitidis.
- To establish reproducible methods for infection, fungal burden assessment, and lethality prediction.
Main Methods:
- Intranasal inoculation of Blastomyces dermatitidis yeasts in mice.
- Histological examination of pulmonary lesions.
- In vitro culture for inoculum titration.
- Monitoring of survival, lung weight, and fungal colony-forming units (CFUs).
Main Results:
- Intranasal inoculation rapidly establishes progressive focal pneumonia.
- Fungal replication reaches a lethal ceiling of 10(7) to 10(8) CFUs/g of lung tissue.
- Lung weight and animal weight correlate with fungal burden and mortality, respectively.
- Extrapulmonary dissemination occurs in protracted infections.
Conclusions:
- This quantitative murine model provides a robust platform for studying Blastomyces dermatitidis pulmonary infections.
- The model allows for the evaluation of host responses and therapeutic interventions based on defined parasitic burden and disease stage.