Experimental leprosy with nude mice

Abstract

In 1960, Shepard reported a model of experimental leprosy of the mouse by means of the foot-pad inoculation technic. This experimental leprosy has been widely utilized in the field of leprosy research, but growth of Mycobacterium leprae in the normal mouse foot-pad is limited and maximum harvest of M. leprae from the infected normal mouse foot-pad is about 106. Several studies were reported concerning immunosuppressed animals in which M. leprae can grow more significantly than in the normal mouse. In 1971, a new model of experimental lepromatous leprosy of armadillos was presented by Kirchheimer and Storrs. The authors attempted to find another model of experimental lepromatous leprosy with laboratory animals, and since 1974 they have been studying animal inoculation of M. leprae with nude mice. They reported previously a lepromatoid lesion developed in the nude mouse inoculated with M. leprae according to Shepard's method, and acid-fast bacilli obtained from the lesion were identified as M. leprae. It is important to confirm the success of secondary passage of M. leprae proliferated in the lesion of the first infected mouse into the other nude mice for establishing a new animal model of experimental leprosy. The next important problem is the reproducibility of animal transmission of M. leprae derived from different patients. Studies were done on secondary passage of M. leprae which proliferated in the lesion of the first infected nude mouse to the other nude mice, as well as studies on animal transmission with M. leprae derived from 8 different patients by use of nude mice. The results of these experiments are discussed.