title: Murine infection model for contagious equine metritis: a new venereal disease of horses.
abstract: An infection model in laboratory mice for studying the bacterium (proposed name Haemophilus equigenitalis) causing contagious equine metritis is described. Small porous chambers were implanted subcutaneously into mice and after 1 to 3 weeks were inoculated with H equigenitalis. Infections that persisted for > 30 days were established by direct transfer of infective chamber fluid or by injection of laboratory-grown cultures. Immunization of mice with formaldehyde-treated cells induced significant, strain-related immunity to infection and did not appear to require complement as a protection mediator. Substantial differences in staining characteristics and cell morphology were observed between bacteria grown in mouse chambers and those grown on a laboratory medium. These differences were more apparent in smears of the organism stained by a modified Gimenez method than in smears stained by the conventional Gram stain. This murine model may be a convenient and inexpensive method for studying the immunobiology of this newly discovered animal pathogen.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004716:Endometritis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006190:Haemophilus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D051379:Mice; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D002710:Chlorhexidine