Abstract
The intracerebral inoculation of newborn Syrian hamsters with pure cultures of Spiroplasma sp. strain SMCA caused severe, prolonged disease involving the central nervous system, culminating in death. The disease was characterized by spasms, muscular tremors, disturbances in motor control, inability to feed, dramatic loss of weight, and runting. The effect ws dose related, with the largest numbers of viable spiroplasmas producing the highest incidence of disease and death in the shortest period of time. Severe hemorrhaging developed throughout the brain, liver, and spleen, and spiroplasmas were readily recovered from these organs, indicating that the agent disseminated from the initial site of infection to distant host tissues. Newborn animals were susceptible, but adults were resistant; these findings are similar to those reported for newborn mice and rats. Unlike mice and rats, hamsters did not develop cataracts visible to the unaided eye. The histopathological features of eye disease in hamsters were different from those in rats and were characterized by microophthalmia (especially in runted hamsters) and abnormal proliferation, disorientation, and disorganization of corneal, lens, and retinal tissues. The significance of these findings is discussed.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- CLARK H. F. SUCKLING MOUSE CATARACT AGENT. J Infect Dis. 1964 Dec;114:476–487. doi: 10.1093/infdis/114.5.476. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Clark H. F., Karzon D. T. Growth curve studies of the suckling mouse cataract agent in individual compartments of the eye. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1969 Jul;131(3):693–696. doi: 10.3181/00379727-131-33954. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Clark H. F. Rat cataract induced by suckling mouse cataract agent. Am J Ophthalmol. 1969 Aug;68(2):304–308. doi: 10.1016/0002-9394(69)94074-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Clark H. F. The suckling mouse cataract agent (SMCA). A slow mycoplasma-like agent? Prog Med Virol. 1974;18(0):307–322. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Elizan T. S., Fabiyi A., Clark H. F. Suckling mouse cataract agent (SMCA)-induced hydrocephalus and chronic brain infection in newborn rats. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1972 Jan;139(1):51–55. doi: 10.3181/00379727-139-36074. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Friedlaender R. P., Barile M. F., Kuwabara T., Clark H. F. Ocular pathology induced by the suckling mouse cataract agent. Invest Ophthalmol. 1976 Aug;15(8):640–647. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Olmsted E., Prasad S., Sheffer J., Clark H. F., Karzon D. T. Ocular lesions induced in C57 mice by the suckling mouse cataract agent (SMCA). Invest Ophthalmol. 1966 Aug;5(4):413–420. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schwartz J., Elizan T. S. Further characterization of suckling mouse cataract agent (SMCA): a slow, persistent infection of the nervous system. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1972 Nov;141(2):699–704. doi: 10.3181/00379727-141-36855. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tully J. G., Whitcomb R. F., Clark H. F., Williamson D. L. Pathogenic mycoplasmas: cultivation and vertebrate pathogenicity of a new spiroplasma. Science. 1977 Mar 4;195(4281):892–894. doi: 10.1126/science.841314. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tully J. G., Whitcomb R. F., Williamson D. L., Clark H. F. Suckling mouse cataract agent is a helical wall-free prokaryote (spiroplasma) pathogenic for vertebrates. Nature. 1976 Jan 15;259(5539):117–120. doi: 10.1038/259117a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Zeigel R. F., Clark H. F. Electron microscopy of the suckling mouse cataract agent: a noncultivable animal pathogen possibly related to mycoplasma. Infect Immun. 1974 Feb;9(2):430–443. doi: 10.1128/iai.9.2.430-443.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]