Babesia canis infection in canine-red blood cell-substituted SCID mice

• Published in: International journal for parasitology 1998-09, Vol.28 (9), p.1429-1435
• Main Authors: Arai, Satoru, Tsuji, Masayoshi, Kim, Sam-Ju, Nakade, Tetsuya, Kanno, Yasunori, Ishihara, Chiaki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Cutaneous; Animal model; Animals; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antiparasitic agents; Antiprotozoal Agents - therapeutic use; Babesia - drug effects; Babesia - growth & development; Babesia canis; Babesiosis - blood; Babesiosis - drug therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; Clindamycin - therapeutic use; Diminazene - therapeutic use; Dog Diseases - blood; Dog Diseases - drug therapy; Dogs; Erythrocyte Transfusion - veterinary; Erythrocytes - parasitology; Experimental protozoal diseases and models; Female; Flow Cytometry; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, SCID; Oxytetracycline - therapeutic use; Parasitemia - drug therapy; Parasitemia - veterinary; Parasitic diseases; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Protozoal diseases; Protozoan Infections - blood; Protozoan Infections - drug therapy; Protozoan Infections, Animal; SCID mice
• ISSN: 0020-7519; 1879-0135
• DOI: 10.1016/S0020-7519(98)00094-0

We have developed a mouse model for Babesia canis infection using severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice whose circulating red blood cells had been substituted with canine red blood cells. Substitution of red blood cells in SCID mice was achieved by repetitive transfusions of canine red blood cells, together with administration of an anti-mouse red blood cell monoclonal antibody. Following inoculation of canine-red blood cell-SCID mice with B. canis, parasites proliferated in the canine red blood cells that had been transfused into the SCID mice, resulting in much higher parasitaemia than that observed in dogs. In an attempt to demonstrate the utility of this mouse model, three anti-protozoal drugs, diminazene diaceturate, clindamycin and oxytetracycline, were examined for their efficacy to inhibit the growth of B. canis in canine-red blood cell-SCID mice. The mouse model clearly showed that diminazene diaceturate and oxytetracycline were capable of eliminating B. canis from the canine-red blood cell-SCID mice, whereas clindamycin exhibited only a static effect as parasitaemia relapsed upon cessation of drug administration.