Animal Models of M. tuberculosis Infection

Abstract

Animal models of tuberculosis infection continue to provide useful information about the nature of the disease process, including specific information about the immune response to the infection and the disease pathology. In addition, standardized animal models are now used extensively to test the capacity of new vaccines to inhibit the course of the infection, as well as test the capacity of new drugs to sterilize the infection. This unit describes some basic protocols illustrating established protocols for infecting animals with tuberculosis, subsequent processes for analysis, and various aspects of biosafety that must be observed. Using these protocols the course of infection, the basic immune response, and the extent of lung pathology can be determined in mouse and guinea pig models of experimental tuberculosis. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 7:10A.5.1‐10A.5.29. © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Therapeutic Potential of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Mycolic Acid Transporter, MmpL3

“…Six-to 8-week-old female C57BL/6 mice (Jackson Laboratories) were infected with the wild-type and virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv ATCC 25618 MmpL3-DUC knockdown using established protocols for low-dose aerosol infection (26) to deliver ϳ100 bacilli per mouse. Doxycycline-containing food (2,000 ppm; Research Diets) was given to mice starting at the desired time points.…”

Development of New Vaccines and Drugs For TB: Limitations and Potential Strategic Errors

“…There are several well-established animal models of TB (reviewed in [20,35–37]). Even today there is still an element in the field that promotes ‘our model is better than your model’ but as I have pointed out before [35,38], each model can provide useful information provided that it is recognized.…”

Revisiting the Natural History of Tuberculosis

“…Some years ago, we postulated against the traditional concept related to two further experimental TB models, namely those induced in mice and guinea pig (GP), which were resistant and susceptible, respectively (Dannenberg 2006, Orme andGonzalez-Juarrero 2007). Our proposal was based on the belief that infection in mice does not seriously threaten their survival, whereas guinea pigs die rapidly.…”