Mouse strains differ in their susceptibility to poststroke infections.
OBJECTIVE
Severe infections, in particular pneumonia, have a major impact on the clinical management and outcome of stroke patients. In a mouse model we have recently demonstrated that stroke induces immunodepression which can result in life-threatening infections. Here, we investigated whether the susceptibility to infections after stroke is strain dependent.


RESULTS
Mice from 129SV, C57/B6, and Balb/C strains were subjected to experimental stroke by filament occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) for 60 min. Infarct volumes were measured 3 days after MCAO. Microbiological assessment was based on cultures of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), lung tissue and blood of animals obtained 3 days after stroke. Three days after stroke 129SV mice did not only develop bacterial chest infection, but also had a strongly increased susceptibility to bacteremia. In contrast, C57BL/6 and Balb/C mice acquired bacterial lung infections only. In addition, bacterial load in BAL was significantly higher in 129SV mice than in the other mice strains. These differences in susceptibility to infection did not correlate with infarct volumes.


CONCLUSIONS
Stroke-associated pneumonia developed in three commonly used mouse strains while severity of infections differed between strains. Since infections affect outcome, monitoring of infections is highly relevant for the interpretation of results in experimental stroke research.
Schulte-Herbrüggen
Olaf
O
Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Klehmet
Juliane
J
Quarcoo
David
D
Meisel
Christian
C
Meisel
Andreas
A
D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000276:immunology; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology*; D016867:Immunocompromised Host / Q000276:immunology; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation / Q000276:immunology*; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013045:Species Specificity; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015996:Survival Rate