E2 - Experimental mycoplasmal respiratory infections in rodents

Abstract

This chapter focuses on experimental mycoplasmal respiratory infections in rodents. Use of laboratory rodents offers many advantages to larger animals, including non-human primates. With respect to mycoplasmas, the availability of a large number of inbred strains of rats and mice with defined microbiological and environmental backgrounds is the most important advantage because heredity, synergism with other infectious agents, and exposure to environmental ammonia and oxidants are known to greatly influence disease character and severity. The availability of transgenic rats and mice and immunocompromised rats and mice offers great opportunities for further defining the role of immunologic factors both in protection against the disease and in disease pathogenesis. Small laboratory animals have been utilized to establish highly reproducible models of several mycoplasmal respiratory diseases. While guinea pigs, hamsters, and cotton rats have been useful in initially establishing the pathogenic potential of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, further work with these animal species is somewhat limited by the availability of immunologic reagents. Newborn mice are valuable in establishing the pathogenic potential of Ureaplasma urealyticum in the production of pneumonia in newborn human infants.