title: Experimental aerosol Mycobacterium bovis model of infection in goats.
abstract: The use of animal models is essential in testing the efficacy for novel therapies against tuberculosis (TB). Calves and non-human primates are examples of large animal models currently used to test TB vaccine efficacy but these animals are difficult and very expensive to house under high containment conditions. The goat may represent an effective but less expensive alternative for testing prototype vaccines against TB. Goats are susceptible to Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium caprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Aerosolized bacteria are the most common source of natural infection in humans and the primary site of natural infection is the respiratory tract. We developed a simple procedure for infecting goats with M. bovis by aerosol exposure. After 8 and 12 weeks of infection the goats were euthanized, post-mortem analysis was performed, and all exposed animals presented TB compatible lesions in the lung and associated lymph nodes. Selected lung lesions and respiratory lymph nodes were evaluated and cultured for bacteriological and histological analysis. The present work shows a reliable new animal model of aerosol infection to be used in the understanding of TB disease and development of new therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States. Mercedes.Gonzalez-Juarrero@colostate.edu
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Juarrero
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bosco-Lauth
authors.forename: Brendan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Podell
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Soffler
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Izzo
authors.forename: Joaquin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Campillo
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bowen
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000818:Animals; D058491:Bacterial Load; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006041:Goats; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011859:Radiography; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: Aerosol; Animal model; Experimental infection; Goats; Mycobacterium bovis; Pulmonary tuberculosis