Requena J M, Soto M, Doria M D, Alonso C
Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2000 Oct 31;76(3-4):269-81. doi: 10.1016/s0165-2427(00)00221-x.
For experimental infections with viscerotropic strains of Leishmania, a suitable animal model is not yet defined. In the present work, we have reappraised the use of golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) as an experimental model for infection with Leishmania infantum. Groups of hamsters were challenged by the intracardial route with doses ranging from 10(3) to 10(5) infectious promastigotes and the animals were monitored for 1-year follow-up period. The outcome of the infection was assessed by clinical symptoms of leishmaniasis, parasite loads in both liver and spleen, humoral response to Leishmania antigens and antibody levels in kidneys. The humoral response was analysed using either crude antigens (by ELISA and Western blotting) or several recombinant Leishmania antigens (Hsp70, Hsp83, LiP2a, LiP2b, H2A, H3 and KMP-11). From the analysis of all these parameters, we established the existence of three groups of animals: symptomatic or susceptible, oligosymptomatic, and resistant. Given the parallelism existing between the outcomes of Leishmania-infection in hamsters, dogs and humans, we believe that our data illustrate that the hamster is an excellent experimental model to study visceral leishmaniasis and for the design of vaccine development.
对于内脏利什曼原虫株的实验性感染，尚未确定合适的动物模型。在本研究中，我们重新评估了金黄仓鼠（Mesocricetus auratus）作为婴儿利什曼原虫感染实验模型的用途。将仓鼠分组，通过心内途径用10³至10⁵个感染性前鞭毛体进行攻击，并对动物进行为期1年的随访监测。通过利什曼病的临床症状、肝脏和脾脏中的寄生虫载量、对利什曼原虫抗原的体液反应以及肾脏中的抗体水平来评估感染结果。使用粗抗原（通过ELISA和Western印迹法）或几种重组利什曼原虫抗原（Hsp70、Hsp83、LiP2a、LiP2b、H2A、H3和KMP-11）分析体液反应。通过对所有这些参数的分析，我们确定存在三组动物：有症状或易感组、少症状组和抗性组。鉴于仓鼠、狗和人类利什曼原虫感染结果之间存在的平行性，我们认为我们的数据表明仓鼠是研究内脏利什曼病和设计疫苗开发的优秀实验模型。
