Abstract
Summary: Pulmonary clearance for Staphylococcus aureus has been examined in two inbred strains of mice with some hereditary alterations resembling cystic fibrosis (CF). These mice were mice with abnormal electrolyte metabolism (DBA/2J-Cri), mice with spontaneous pneumonitis (C57BL/6J-bgJ), and mice without any CF-like alterations (BALB/c).
The methods used to produce pulmonary infection were essentially those of Laurenzi and associates adapted as needed for mutant mice. The animals mentioned above were exposed to a finely divided aerosol suspension of a coagulase-positive strain of S. aureus in phosphate buffer.
Immediately after the exposure, half of the animals were killed, and the remaining half were killed 4 hr later. In each experimental unit the mice killed immediately after the exposure were as similar as possible to the mice killed 4 hr later with respect to genotype, age, and sex; some were siblings.
The uncleared bacteria (UBR) in 4 hr were 0.20 for the mice without any CF-like alterations (BALB/c) and the C57BL/6J-bg, bg/bg genotypes; 0.28 for C57BL/6J-ftg, +/? genotypes; 0.50 for the DBA/2J-cri, +/? genotypes; and 0.56 for cri/cri mice.
The number of viable staphylococci found immediately after the aerosol exposure (Co) in the C57BL/6J-bg strain is significantly lower than the Co of the BALB/c (P < 0.05) and DBA/2J-cri strain (P < 0.01). The latter two did not differ from each other.
There was no sex difference with respect to the UBR and Co data. The DBA/2J-cri strain of mice, where the cri mutation first appeared, has a decreased capacity for clearance of S. aureus by the lung. Together with the other CF-like alterations of the cri mutation, namely failure for the reabsorption of Na+ by the parotid duct, high level of Na+ in the fur, and CF abnormal serum factor activity in the scrum of cri/cri mice, we suggest that the cribriform degeneration mouse mutant may provide a potential animal model for studying CF.
Speculation: The finding of a mouse mutation with electrolyte alterations and CF-like abnormal scrum activity, similar to the activity found in CF children, in an inbred strain of mice with a decreased bacterial clearance by the lungs, makes these mice very useful for CF studies.
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Pivetta, O., Sordelli, D. & Labal, M. Pulmonary Clearance of Staphylococcus aureus in Mutant Mice with Some Hereditary Alterations Resembling Cystic Fibrosis. Pediatr Res 11, 1133–1136 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197711000-00003
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197711000-00003