Aerosol infection of mice with Bordetella pertussis.

Aerosol inhalation of Bordetella pertussis Tohama phase I resulted in a reproducible and uniform infection of mice (strain DDY or ICR). Mice in groups of 10 exposed for 30 min to aerosols generated from bacterial suspensions of 10(9) and 10(10) organisms per ml resulted in mean bacterial counts of 2.3 (+/- 0.3) X 10(4) and 1.0 (+/- 0.3) X 10(5) colony-forming units, respectively, in the lung of each animal. Subsequent studies using a 30-min aerosol inoculation of ICR mice with 2 X 10(9) bacterial cells per ml showed: (i) B. pertussis cells reached a maximum of about 10(7) colony-forming units per lung 14 days after inhalation. (ii) Deaths (10 to 100%, depending on mouse age) occurred 10 to 14 days after exposure. (iii) The lung weight and the leukocyte count increased from basal values of 100 mg and 10(4) leukocytes per mm3 to a plateau of 950 mg and 1.95 X 10(5) leukocytes per mm3, respectively, 14 days after challenge. (iv) There was a significantly reduced rate of body weight gain by infected mice compared to noninfected mice. (v) With mortality as the criterion for disease, susceptibility varied with the age of mice as follows: 10 days old greater than 18 greater than 28 greater than 49. (vi) Bacteria were associated with ciliated respiratory epithelial cells by scanning electron microscopy.