Effects of altering the germination potential of Bacillus anthracis spores by exogenous means in a mouse model.
Inhalational anthrax is the most severe form of anthrax. It has been shown in small-animal and non-human primate models that relatively large pools of ungerminated Bacillus anthracis spores can remain within the alveolar spaces for days to weeks post-inhalation or until transported to areas more favourable for germination and bacillary outgrowth. In this study, spores of the Ames strain that were exposed to germination-inducing media prior to intranasal delivery were significantly less infectious than spores delivered in either water or germination-inhibitory medium. The effect of manipulating the germination potential of these spores within the lungs of infected mice by exogenous germination-altering media was examined. The data suggested that neither inducing germination nor inhibiting germination of spores within the lungs protected mice from the ensuing infection. Germination-altering strategies could, instead, significantly increase the severity of disease in a mouse model of inhalational anthrax when implemented in vivo. It was shown that germination-altering strategies, in this study, were not beneficial to the infected host and are impractical as in vivo countermeasures.
Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA.
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Cote
Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA.
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Bozue
Pathology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA.
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Twenhafel
Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA.
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Welkos
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D000881:Anthrax / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D003470:Culture Media; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence
D003470:Culture Media