title: Susceptibility of HLA-B27 transgenic mice to Yersinia enterocolitica infection.
abstract: The majority of patients with reactive arthritis have the major histocompatibility complex class I gene HLA-B27. The development of arthritis in these patients often occurs following infection with one of several enteric bacteria, including Yersinia enterocolitica. In this study, transgenic mice expressing HLA-B27 and their negative full sibs were infected intravenously with Yersinia enterocolitica 0:8 WA in an attempt to develop an experimental model of reactive arthritis. To date, no reactive arthritis has been observed; however, a significantly higher incidence of paralysis was observed in the HLA-B27+ transgenic mice. Injection of 10(5) organisms induced hind limb paralysis in 8 out of 30 of the HLA-B27 transgenic mice (27%) and in only 1 of the 24 negative siblings (4%). Paralysis occurred in 14 out of 30 HLA-B27+ mice (47%) at a dose of 10(4) organisms. Only 2 of the 25 negative siblings (8%) were affected at this dose. Paraspinal abscesses were found in all of the paralyzed animals. At the 10(4) dose most of the HLA-B27+ mice (70%) succumbed to the disease within 4 weeks, while the mortality in their B27- full sibs was less than 10%. Thus, HLA-B27 transgenic mice have higher mortality and morbidity from infection with Y. enterocolitica 0:8 WA than corresponding HLA-B27- littermates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55905.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Nickerson
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Luthra
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Savarirayan
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: David
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica
chemical_list: D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen