Septicemic infection in nude mice caused by a virulent strain of Mycobacterium bovis.
Following i.v. infection with 2.3 to 2 X 10(6) viable organisms of Mycobacterium bovis strain Ravenel, congentitally athymic nude (nu/nu) mice of BALB/c background died earlier than their heterozygous (nu/+) counterparts, showing necrotic nodules in the heart and kidney with the involvement of liver and spleen. Pulmonary lesions in nu/nu mice, however, were less severe than those of dead nu/+ mice. In the reticuloendothelial organs of nu/nu mice, macrophages loaded numerous acid fast bacilli were transiently proliferated and later, necrotic-exudative lesions were produced without epithelioid granuloma formation, while necrotic lesions appeared at very early stage of infection in the other organs as well as adipose tissues. After thymocyte-reconstitution nu/nu mice were capable of developing epithelioid granulomas as seen in nu/+ mice, though having more numerous bacilli in granulomas than those of nu/+.
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000472:pathogenicity; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014774:Virulence