Increased vascular permeability of Brucella abortus bacilli in the thymus of NZB/W F1 mice.
Various amounts of the bacterium, Brucella abortus (BA) were injected intravenously into autoimmune NZB/W F1 mice and non-autoimmune BDF1 mice and then the localization of BA in the thymus was traced using an immunohistochemical method at 30 min and 3 h after injection. The results showed that a greater amount of BA became consistently localized in the thymic parenchyma in a free form or in a phagocytized form in NZB/W F1 mice in comparison with BDF1 mice, indicating a marked increase of vascular permeability in the thymus of NZB/W F1 mice. The extravascular leakage of BA was clearly dose-dependent. The significance of invasion of bacterial antigens from the general circulation into the thymic parenchyma is discussed in relation to autoimmune states.
Ohmori
J
J
Department of Anatomy, Kumamoto University Medical School, Japan.
Miyakawa
K
K
Matsuno
K
K
Kotani
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D002244:Carbon / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005260:Female; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008814:Mice, Inbred NZB / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000382:microbiology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004396:Coloring Agents; C028433:chinese ink; D002244:Carbon