Skip to main content
PMC home page
The British Journal of Venereal Diseases logoLink to The British Journal of Venereal Diseases
. 1977 Feb;53(1):26–30. doi: 10.1136/sti.53.1.26

Pneumonia in mice produced by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

A P Johnson, D Taylor-Robinson, G Slavin
PMCID: PMC1045338  PMID: 843896

Abstract

Gonococci of colony type 1 were introduced by intranasal inoculation into the lungs of mice in an attempt to produce infection. The organisms were eliminated from the three strains of mice used within 24 hours of challenge. Cyclophosphamide treatment of mice failed to render them susceptible although the organisms disappeared more slowly. The lungs of immunologically normal animals that had received either viable or heat-killed gonococci were acutely inflamed with infiltration of bronchioles and alveoli by polymorphonuclear and mononuclear leucocytes. Most of the changes had resolved after about four days. In cyclophosphamide-treated mice pulmonary infiltration by polymorphonuclear leucocytes was not evident, suggesting that these cells were not primarily responsible for the clearance of the gonococci. Despite the failure to produce a sustained infection, this model may be valuable for studying the local inflammatory effect of gonococcal endotoxin.

Full text

PDF
29

Images in this article

28Image
on p.28
29Image
on p.29

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Araujo F. G., Williams D. M., Grumet F. C., Remington J. S. Strain-dependent differences in murine susceptibility to toxoplasma. Infect Immun. 1976 May;13(5):1528–1530. doi: 10.1128/iai.13.5.1528-1530.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Arko R. J. An immunologic model in laboratory animals for the study of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Infect Dis. 1974 Apr;129(4):451–455. doi: 10.1093/infdis/129.4.451. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Arko R. J. Neisseria gonorrhoeae: experimental infection of laboratory animals. Science. 1972 Sep 29;177(4055):1200–1201. doi: 10.1126/science.177.4055.1200. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brown W. J., Lucas C. T., Kuhn U. S. Gonorrhoea in the chimpanzee. Infection with laboratory-passed gonococci and by natural transmission. Br J Vener Dis. 1972 Jun;48(3):177–178. doi: 10.1136/sti.48.3.177. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chandler F. W., Kraus S. J., Watts J. C. Pathological features of experimental gonococcal infection in mice and guinea pigs. Infect Immun. 1976 Mar;13(3):909–914. doi: 10.1128/iai.13.3.909-914.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Flynn J., Waitkins S. A. Survival of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in an artificial subcutaneous cavity of the mouse. Br J Vener Dis. 1973 Oct;49(5):432–434. doi: 10.1136/sti.49.5.432. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hunninghake G. W., Fauci A. S. Quantitative and qualitative effects of cyclophosphamide administration on circulating polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Immunology. 1976 Jul;31(1):139–144. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. KELLOGG D. S., Jr, PEACOCK W. L., Jr, DEACON W. E., BROWN L., PIRKLE D. I. NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE. I. VIRULENCE GENETICALLY LINKED TO CLONAL VARIATION. J Bacteriol. 1963 Jun;85:1274–1279. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.6.1274-1279.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kellogg D. S., Jr, Cohen I. R., Norins L. C., Schroeter A. L., Reising G. Neisseria gonorrhoeae. II. Colonial variation and pathogenicity during 35 months in vitro. J Bacteriol. 1968 Sep;96(3):596–605. doi: 10.1128/jb.96.3.596-605.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lucas C. T., Chandler F., Jr, Martin J. E., Jr, Schmale J. D. Transfer of gonococcal urethritis from man to chimpanzee. An animal model for gonorrhea. JAMA. 1971 Jun 7;216(10):1612–1614. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Maeland J. A. Immunochemical characterization of aqueous ether extracted endotoxin from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1969;76(3):484–492. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1969.tb03278.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pasieka A. E., Ota F., Ryan A., Ashton F. E., Wallace R., Perusse C., Diena B. B. The goat mammary gland as a model infection site for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Br J Vener Dis. 1976 Jun;52(3):170–171. doi: 10.1136/sti.52.3.170. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Payne S. M., Finkelstein R. A. Pathogenesis and immunology of experimental gonococcal infection: role of iron in virulence. Infect Immun. 1975 Dec;12(6):1313–1318. doi: 10.1128/iai.12.6.1313-1318.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Plant J., Glynn A. A. Genetics of resistance to infection with Salmonella typhimurium in mice. J Infect Dis. 1976 Jan;133(1):72–78. doi: 10.1093/infdis/133.1.72. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Scales R. W., Kraus S. J. Development and passive transfer of immunity to gonococcal infection in Guinea pigs. Infect Immun. 1974 Nov;10(5):1040–1043. doi: 10.1128/iai.10.5.1040-1043.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sowter C., McGEE Z. A. Evaluation of a new technique for the demonstration of gonococci and other micro-organisms in host cells. J Clin Pathol. 1976 May;29(5):433–437. doi: 10.1136/jcp.29.5.433. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Taylor-Robinson D., Denny F. W., Thompson G. W., Allison A. C., Mårdh P. A. Isolation of mycoplasmas from lungs by a perfusion technique. Med Microbiol Immunol. 1972;158(1):9–15. doi: 10.1007/BF02122003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Turner W. H., Novotny P. The inability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae pili antibodies to confer immunity in subcutaneous guinea-pig chambers. J Gen Microbiol. 1976 Jan;92(1):224–228. doi: 10.1099/00221287-92-1-224. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Veale D. R., Smith H., Witt K. A., Marshall R. B. Differential ability of colonial types of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to produce infection cutaneous perforated plastic chambers in guinea-pigs and rabbits. J Med Microbiol. 1975 May;8(2):325–335. doi: 10.1099/00222615-8-2-325. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Venereal Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES