A pregnant mouse model for the vertical transmission of Brucella melitensis.
Abortion is the major clinical sign of brucellosis in animals but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. This study was designed to evaluate a pregnant mouse model for the vertical transmission of Brucella melitensis using four infectious doses: 10(3) colony-forming units (CFU), 10(4) CFU, 10(5) CFU, and 10(6) CFU. During the experimental period, no instances of abortion were recorded, but stillbirths were observed in the groups infected with doses of 10(4) CFU and higher. Regardless of whether the fetuses were stillborn or alive, transmission of bacteria to the fetus and bacterial replication in the cytoplasm of placental trophoblast giant cells were detected. A higher degree of bacterial colonization was found in the placenta than in the spleen or fetus. Doses of 10(5) CFU of B. melitensis or higher produced a severe, necrotizing placentitis similar to the pathological damage observed in ruminants. The data suggest that experimental murine brucellosis resembles ruminant brucellosis and represents a potential model for studying the pathogenic mechanisms of B. melitensis.
Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Yuanmingyuan Xilu No. 2, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China.
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Wang
College of Biological Sciences, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang 455000, China.
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Wang
College of Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining 810000, China.
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Wang
Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Yuanmingyuan Xilu No. 2, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China.
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Wu
Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Yuanmingyuan Xilu No. 2, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China.
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Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Yuanmingyuan Xilu No. 2, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China. Electronic address: wuqm@cau.edu.cn.
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Wu
D000818:Animals; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000502:physiology*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D023421:Models, Animal; D010920:Placenta / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D010922:Placenta Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy
Bacteriology; Brucellosis; Histology; Pregnant mouse; Vertical transmission