Decrease of virulence for BALB/c mice produced by continuous subculturing of Nocardia brasiliensis

BMC Infectious Diseases

Lucio Vera-Cabrera²  Jorge Ocampo-Candiani²  Víktor J Romero-Díaz³  Salvador Said-Fernández¹  Hector G Lozano-Garza¹  Oliverio Welsh²  Janeth A Almaguer-Chávez² 

[1] Centro de Investigación Biomédica del Noreste, IMSS, Monterrey, N.L., 64720, México;Servicio de Dermatología, Hospital Universitario "José E. González", Monterrey, N.L., 64460 México;Departamento de Histología, Facultad de Medicina, UANL., Monterrey, N.L., 64460 México

关键词: attenuation;    Nocardia;    Mycetoma;   

Others  :  1175559
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2334-11-290

 received in 2011-03-07, accepted in 2011-10-26,  发布年份 2011

【 摘 要 】

Background

Subculturing has been extensively used to attenuate human pathogens. In this work we studied the effect of continuous subculturing of Nocardia brasiliensis HUJEG-1 on virulence in a murine model.

Methods

Nocardia brasiliensis HUJEG-1 was subcultured up to 130 times on brain heart infusion over four years. BALB/c mice were inoculated in the right foot pad with the bacteria subcultured 0, 40, 80, 100 and 130 times (T₀, T₄₀, T₈₀ T₁₀₀ and T₁₃₀). The induction of resistance was tested by using T₁₃₀ to inoculate a group of mice followed by challenge with T0 12 weeks later. Biopsies were taken from the newly infected foot-pad and immunostained with antibodies against CD4, CD8 and CD14 in order to analyze the in situ immunological changes.

Results

When using T₄₀, T₈₀ T₁₀₀ and T₁₃₀ as inoculums we observed lesions in 10, 5, 0 and 0 percent of the animals, respectively, at the end of 12 weeks. In contrast, their controls produced mycetoma in 80, 80, 70 and 60% of the inoculated animals. When studying the protection of T₁₃₀, we observed a partial resistance to the infection. Immunostaining revealed an intense CD4+ lymphocytic and macrophage infiltrate in healing lesions.

Conclusions

After 130 in vitro passages of N. brasiliensis HUJEG-1 a severe decrease in its virulence was observed. Immunization of BALB/c mice, with these attenuated cells, produced a state of partial resistance to infection with the non-subcultured isolate.

【 授权许可】

   
2011 Almaguer-Chávez et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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