Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1981 Apr;32(1):105–110. doi: 10.1128/iai.32.1.105-110.1981

Gonococcal infection in endotoxin-resistant and endotoxin-susceptible mice.

P R Streeter, L B Corbeil
PMCID: PMC350594  PMID: 6783547

Abstract

The role of endotoxin responsiveness in defense against gonococcal infection was studied in endotoxin-resistant (C3H/HeJ) and endotoxin-susceptible (C3H/HeN) mice by using a model of disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) and a model of gonococcal survival in the female genital tract to determine the ability of the mice to eliminate gonococci. The 50% lethal dose in the DGI model was 10(9.6) for C3H/HeJ mice and 10(5.2) for C3H/HeN mice. Levels of bacteremia during infection indicated the C3H/HeJ mice cleared large numbers of gonococci from their peripheral blood by 24 h post-inoculation but that C3H/HeN mice did not. Additionally, the peritoneal leukocyte response after intraperitoneal inoculation of gonococci was greater in C3H/HeJ mice than in C3H/HeN mice, which suggested that the ability to mount an inflammatory response to endotoxin may be important in defense against DGI. Besides being different in susceptibility to DGI, C3H/HeJ mice were found to be more resistant then C3H/HeN mice to genital colonization by gonococci. The resistance of C3H/HeJ mice to genital colonization by gonococci appeared to be due to both the high numbers of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the genital secretion and the predominance of inhibitory gram-negative genital flora in that mouse strain.

Full text

PDF
105

Selected References

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

  1. BOOT L. M., MUHLBOCK O., THUNG P. J. Senile changes in the oestrous cycle and in ovarian structure in some inbred strains of mice. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1956 Sep;23(1):8–32. doi: 10.1530/acta.0.0230008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Corbeil L. B., Wunderlich A. C., Braude A. I. Technique for transcervical intrauterine inoculation of the mouse. Lab Anim Sci. 1978 Jun;28(3):314–316. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Corbeil L. B., Wunderlich A. C., Corbeil R. R., McCutchan J. A., Ito J. I., Jr, Braude A. I. Disseminated gonococcal infection in mice. Infect Immun. 1979 Dec;26(3):984–990. doi: 10.1128/iai.26.3.984-990.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Glode L. M., Jacques A., Mergenhagen S. E., Rosenstreich D. L. Resistance of macrophages from C3H/HeJ mice to the in vitro cytotoxic effects of endotoxin. J Immunol. 1977 Jul;119(1):162–166. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. 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]
  6. 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]
  7. Martin J. E., Jr, Billings T. E., Hackney J. F., Thayer J. D. Primary isolation of N. gonorrhoeae with a new commercial medium. Public Health Rep. 1967 Apr;82(4):361–363. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Moeller G. R., Terry L., Snyderman R. The inflammatory response and resistance to endotoxin in mice. J Immunol. 1978 Jan;120(1):116–123. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Peavy D. L., Baughn R. E., Musher D. M. Strain-dependent cytotoxic effects of endotoxin for mouse peritoneal macrophages. Infect Immun. 1978 Jul;21(1):310–319. doi: 10.1128/iai.21.1.310-319.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Schoolnik G. K., Buchanan T. M., Holmes K. K. Gonococci causing disseminated gonococcal infection are resistant to the bactericidal action of normal human sera. J Clin Invest. 1976 Nov;58(5):1163–1173. doi: 10.1172/JCI108569. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Sultzer B. M. Genetic control of leucocyte responses to endotoxin. Nature. 1968 Sep 21;219(5160):1253–1254. doi: 10.1038/2191253a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Sultzer B. M. Genetic factors in leucocyte responses to endotoxin: further studies in mice. J Immunol. 1969 Jul;103(1):32–38. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Swanson J., Kraus S. J., Gotschlich E. C. Studies on gonococcus infection. I. Pili and zones of adhesion: their relation to gonococcal growth patterns. J Exp Med. 1971 Oct 1;134(4):886–906. doi: 10.1084/jem.134.4.886. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Vas S. I., Roy R. S., Robson H. G. Endotoxin sensitivity of inbred mouse strains. Can J Microbiol. 1973 Jul;19(7):767–769. doi: 10.1139/m73-125. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Watson J., Riblet R. Genetic control of responses to bacterial lipopolysaccharides in mice. I. Evidence for a single gene that influences mitogenic and immunogenic respones to lipopolysaccharides. J Exp Med. 1974 Nov 1;140(5):1147–1161. doi: 10.1084/jem.140.5.1147. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES