title: Gerbil model of acute neosporosis.
abstract: Experimental infections with the NC-1 strain of Neospora caninum were conducted in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) to determine their acute responses to experimental intraperitoneal infection. Five groups of five female gerbils were used and they were intraperitoneally infected with 1x10(6), 2x10(6), 3x10(6), 4x10(6) or 5x10(6) tachyzoites. Gerbils in all groups developed clinical signs of neosporosis which consisted of inactivity 4-5 days post-inoculation. Morbidity and mortality were observed in all groups. Grossly there was a clear fibrinous exudate in the abdominal cavity and adhesions of the spleen and pancreas to the stomach in gerbils suffering from acute neosporosis. The LD50 was calculated as 9.3x10(5) tachyzoites per gerbil. The results indicate that gerbils can be used as a suitable model of acute neosporosis. This model can be used to screen candidate treatments and to test the efficacy of vaccines for neosporosis without the need to use histology or PCR to demonstrate treatment efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, 1410 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0342, USA.
authors.forename: Sheela
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramamoorthy
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sriranganathan
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lindsay
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D018688:Neospora / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D013997:Time Factors