An Animal Model of a Newly Emerging Human Ehrlichiosis

Overview

Journal J Infect Dis

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2014 Jul 4

PMID 24990203

Citations 14

Authors

Tais Berelli Saito

Nagaraja R Thirumalapura

Thomas R Shelite

Dedeke Rockx-Brouwer

Vsevolod L Popov

David H Walker

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Human ehrlichioses are emerging life-threatening diseases transmitted by ticks. Animal models have been developed to study disease development; however, there is no valid small animal model that uses a human ehrlichial pathogen. The objective of this study was to develop a mouse model for ehrlichiosis with the newly discovered human pathogen, Ehrlichia muris-like agent (EMLA).

Methods: Three strains of mice were inoculated with different doses of EMLA by the intravenous, intraperitoneal, or intradermal route and evaluated for clinical and pathologic changes during the course of infection.

Results: EMLA infected C57Bl/6, BALB/c, and C3H/HeN mice and induced lethal or persistent infection in a route- and dose-dependent manner. The clinical chemistry and hematologic changes were similar to those of human infection by Ehrlichia chaffeensis or EMLA. Bacterial distribution in tissues differed after intradermal infection, compared with the distribution after intravenous or intraperitoneal injection. Lethal infection did not cause remarkable pathologic changes, but it caused fluid imbalance. EMLA infection of endothelium and mononuclear cells likely plays a role in the severe outcome.

Conclusions: The EMLA mouse model mimics human infection and can be used to study pathogenesis and immunity and for development of a vector transmission model of ehrlichiosis.

Citing Articles

Detection of in Blacklegged Ticks () and White-Footed Mice () in Massachusetts.

Xu G, Foster E, Ribbe F, Hojgaard A, Eisen R, Paull S Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2023; 23(6):311-315.

PMID: 37126383 PMC: 10278004. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0098.

Review: Protective Immunity and Immunopathology of Ehrlichiosis.

Ismail N, Sharma A, Soong L, Walker D Zoonoses (Burlingt). 2022; 2(1).

PMID: 35876763 PMC: 9300479. DOI: 10.15212/zoonoses-2022-0009.

The Impact of Tick-Borne Diseases on the Bone.

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Isolate from a Minnesota Tick: Characterization and Genetic Transformation.

Lynn G, Burkhardt N, Felsheim R, Nelson C, Oliver J, Kurtti T Appl Environ Microbiol. 2019; 85(14).

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Cultivation of the causative agent of human neoehrlichiosis from clinical isolates identifies vascular endothelium as a target of infection.

Wass L, Grankvist A, Bell-Sakyi L, Bergstrom M, Ulfhammer E, Lingblom C Emerg Microbes Infect. 2019; 8(1):413-425.

PMID: 30898074 PMC: 6455172. DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2019.1584017.

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