Am J Pathol. 1990 May;136(5):1173-86. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
The opportunistic pathogen Pneumocystis carinii (Pc) poses a major
clinical health problem in individuals with immune deficiency, including
those patients with human immunodeficiency (HIV)-associated acquired
immune deficiency disease (AIDS). Heretofore, in vivo investigations of
the biology of Pc and pathogenesis of pneumocystosis have generally
employed steroid-induced immune suppression with antibiotic prophylaxis
and protein deprivation. This approach has many drawbacks, chief among
them being the widespread, multiple interacting effects caused by the
inducing agents. Athymic (nude) mice and rats have been used, but are
less than ideal, as the immune defect primarily affects T lymphocytes.
This article describes the natural history, pathobiology, and
environmental effects on Pc pneumonitis in nonaxenically housed mice
homozygous for the autosomal recessive mutation 'severe combined
immunodeficiency' (scid), which almost totally lack both cell-mediated
and antibody-mediated immune functions. The predictability, unequivocal
expression, high morbidity, and well-defined genetic basis make
scid/scid mutant mice the model of choice for in vivo studies of
spontaneous pneumocystosis.
Animal Body Weight Bone Marrow Transplantation Erythrocyte Volume
IgM/ANALYSIS Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes/BLOOD/GENETICS/*PATHOLOGY
Longevity Lung/PATHOLOGY Mice *Mice, Mutant Strains Organ Weight
Pneumonia, Pneumocystis carinii/GENETICS/*PATHOLOGY/ PHYSIOPATHOLOGY
Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. JOURNAL ARTICLE