Development and Passive Transfer of Immunity to Gonococcal Infection in Guinea Pigs

Abstract

Gonococcal infections of relatively long duration were produced in guinea pigs with minimal infective doses ranging from 101 to 102 colony-forming units. After spontaneous eradication and upon rechallenge with > 108 gonococcal colony-forming units, guinea pigs were refractory to infection. Serum from these guinea pigs was bactericidal in vitro and protected virgin guinea pigs from in vivo challenge. The 7S peak, but not the 19S peak, from gel filtered immune serum demonstrated both bactericidal and passive protective properties. In vitro bactericidal activity of whole immune serum and its 7S peak was abolished after heating at 56 C for 30 min. The in vivo protective ability of the 7S peak was not abolished after heating. Previous studies have indicated that some degree of an immune response, both cellular and humoral, develops in man after natural gonococcal infections (5, 7). However, repeated

Protection against group B meningococcal disease. II. Infection and resulting immunity in a guinea pig model.

“…Duration of infection was determined for several different serotype strains (Table II) examined and all persisted as long as other strains, but never at concentrations greater than 104 organisms/milliliter. For protection studies, we initially considered rechallenge of animals simultaneously with two different meningococcal strains injected into two widely spaced subcutaneous chambers as reported for gonococci (20,21). The feasibility of this technique was tested by injecting 105 organisms of strain S-946 (group B, type 2) into one chamber 14 days after implantation of 2 chambers.…”

“…The guinea pig chamber model has been used to study Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection (15,20,27,28), but N. meningitidis infection of these chambers was not examined. Various materials have been used to establish artificial chambers for Neisserial infection of guinea pigs (15,20,27).…”

“…The guinea pig chamber model has been used to study Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection (15,20,27,28), but N. meningitidis infection of these chambers was not examined. Various materials have been used to establish artificial chambers for Neisserial infection of guinea pigs (15,20,27). We chose the stainless steel spring for implantation because it allows the most freedom of interaction of host cellular and humoral immune mechanisms with the Neisseria, whereas plastic chambers may become highly encapsulated and allow the establishment of persistent infections (27,28).…”

“…Resistance to reinfection was determined with a single challenge dose, estimated to be approximately 100 times the uniformly infectious dose. Other investigators have reported using graded challenge doses given over a period of several days (20,35). This latter method is less satisfactory because the preinfecting challenge doses may potentiate the apparent immunity to infection in already immunologically primed animals.…”

Pathological features of experimental gonococcal infection in mice and guinea pigs

“…More commonly, myriads of intracellular and extracellular pleomorphic fragments that were brightly VOL. 13,1976 912 CHANDLER, KRAUS, AND WATTS '%.…”