Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1965 Jan;89(1):9–16. doi: 10.1128/jb.89.1.9-16.1965

Host-Parasite Relationships with Brucella neotomae

Irvin W Gibby a,1, Anna M Gibby a
PMCID: PMC315541  PMID: 14255687

Abstract

Gibby, Irvin W. (Cornell University Medical College, New York, N.Y.), and Anna M. Gibby. Host-parasite relationships with Brucella neotomae. J. Bacteriol. 89:9–16. 1965.—An investigation was undertaken to ascertain whether a vigorous parasitic state could be evolved by transfer procedures in the host-parasite system, Brucella neotomae versus the white mouse. Visible disease was not maintained and initial high doses were abruptly decreased if the parasite was serially transferred through host animals without the use of an adjuvant. Of several adjuvants tested, 5% mucin was the most effective in enhancing Brucella infections in the white mouse, and with this adjuvant a vigorous lethal disease was maintained in serial transfer. In one transfer series, bacterial colonies of a form different from B. neotomae were obtained. Substrains of the altered bacterial form were agglutinated by Brucella antiserum and exhibited other properties consistent with the genus, Brucella. Cultures and selected clones of this organism in low doses caused rapidly lethal disease in the white mouse in the absence of mucin. Also, the disease could be maintained in serial transfer as an acute lethal process without mucin. It is concluded that the host-parasite interaction was drastically altered with the emergence of a highly virulent parasite in an infectious state that had previously been relatively benign. Various related aspects of parasitism are discussed.

Full text

PDF
9

Selected References

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

  1. EVANS C. A. Factors influencing the occurrence of illness during naturally acquired polimyelitis virus infections. Bacteriol Rev. 1960 Dec;24(4):341–352. doi: 10.1128/br.24.4.341-352.1960. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. FENNER F. Myxomatosis in Australian wild rabbits; evolutionary changes in an infectious disease. Harvey Lect. 1957;53:25–55. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. GIBBY I. W., GIBBY A. M. POPULATION DYNAMICS OF BRUCELLA ON SOLID MEDIA. Appl Microbiol. 1964 Sep;12:442–446. doi: 10.1128/am.12.5.442-446.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. LAMBERT H. P., RICHLEY J. The action of mucin in promoting infections: the anticomplementary effect of mucin extracts and certain other substances. Br J Exp Pathol. 1952 Aug;33(4):327–339. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. OLSUFIEV N. G., EMELYANOVA O. S., DUNAYEVA T. N. Comparative study of strains of B. tularense in the old and new world and their taxonomy. J Hyg Epidemiol Microbiol Immunol. 1959;3:138–149. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. OWEN C. R., BELL J. F., JELLISON W. L., BUKER E. O., MOORE G. J. Lack of demonstrable enhancement of virulence of Francisella tularensis during animal passage. Zoonoses Res. 1961 Dec 20;1:75–85. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. SILVERMAN S. J., DRAWDY J. F., KAUTTER D. A. FAILURE OF ANIMAL PASSAGE TO INCREASE THE VIRULENCE OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES. J Bacteriol. 1963 Jul;86:92–94. doi: 10.21236/ad0401245. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. SMITH H. Factors involved in the virulence-enhancing action of mucin. Proc R Soc Med. 1953 Sep;46(9):787–790. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. SMITH H., KEPPIE J., PEARCE J. H., FULLER R., WILLIAMS A. E. The chemical basis of the virulence of Brucella abortus. I. Isolation of Br. abortus from bovine foetal tissue. Br J Exp Pathol. 1961 Dec;42:631–637. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. STOENNER H. G., LACKMAN D. B. A new species of Brucella isolated from the desert wood rat, Neotoma lepida Thomas. Am J Vet Res. 1957 Oct;18(69):947–951. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES