Fieldsteel A H, Gartner S
Infect Immun. 1975 Oct;12(4):733-7. doi: 10.1128/iai.12.4.733-737.1975.
BALB/c mice thymectomized at 3 to 5 days of age were studied to determine if this procedure would result in enhanced susceptibility to infection with Mycobacterium leprae and, if so, whether or not administration of antilymphocyte serum would further increase this susceptibility. The plateau for growth in the footpads of intact mice occurred 4 months after inoculation, whereas in the thymectomized and thymetocomized plus antilymphocyte serum-treated groups the plateau occurred between months 11 and 12 after inoculation. Thymectomy resulted in at least a 10-fold increase in the number of M. leprae found in the footpads. Antilymphocyte serum did not appear to further enhance the M. leprae infection in the thymectomized mice. Although growth of M. leprae in the testes of both intact and thymectomized mice was erratic, the number of organisms reached a higher ceiling in the thymectomized groups. M. leprae harvested from all groups was passaged into intact mice at various intervals after inoculation to test for viability. Viable M. leprae were found at all intervals tested including 22 months after infection in the intact mice, suggesting that a chronic infection occurred that probably lasted during the entire life of the animals.
研究了3至5日龄时进行胸腺切除的BALB/c小鼠，以确定该手术是否会导致对麻风分枝杆菌感染的易感性增强，如果是，抗淋巴细胞血清的给药是否会进一步增加这种易感性。完整小鼠足垫中的生长平台在接种后4个月出现，而在胸腺切除组和胸腺切除加抗淋巴细胞血清处理组中，平台在接种后11至12个月之间出现。胸腺切除导致足垫中发现的麻风分枝杆菌数量至少增加10倍。抗淋巴细胞血清似乎并未进一步增强胸腺切除小鼠中的麻风分枝杆菌感染。尽管完整小鼠和胸腺切除小鼠睾丸中的麻风分枝杆菌生长不稳定，但胸腺切除组中的菌数达到了更高的峰值。在接种后不同时间间隔，将从所有组收获的麻风分枝杆菌接种到完整小鼠中以测试其活力。在所有测试的时间间隔都发现了有活力的麻风分枝杆菌，包括在完整小鼠感染后22个月，这表明发生了慢性感染，可能持续动物的整个生命期。
