Growth of Mycobacterium leprae in nude mice.

Athymic nude mice were introduced in our laboratories in 1982. In this paper results over one year period of nude mice inoculated with small numbers of M. leprae are described. In this study we showed that 1 X 10(4) M. leprae with low numbers of viable bacilli inoculated into hind foot pads of nude mice housed both in vinyl plastic isolators and "clean room" conditions had the ability to grow and reach remarkable levels. There was dissemination of the infection to other uninoculated foot pads by six months.