Mycoplasma pulmonis and lymphoma in bioassays in rats.

Lymphomas were reported to be induced in rats in bioassays of aspartame, methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), and other chemicals conducted by a nonprofit cancer research organization. European regulatory authorities concluded that lymphomas in the aspartame study were caused by Mycoplasma pulmonis and suggested that this also was the case for the MTBE bioassay. To assess the role of M. pulmonis in these bioassays, we reviewed the tumor data for the aspartame and MTBE bioassays and, additionally, the organization's bioassay of methanol. For all 3 studies, the most frequently reported hematopoietic neoplasm was lympho-immunoblastic lymphoma, the most frequently affected organ was the lung, and, in almost half of the rats with this diagnosis, the lung was the only affected organ. Lesions diagnosed as lymphoma in published illustrations had pleomorphic cellular morphology and appeared to contain neutrophils. Information from these reports and other sources indicated that lesions typical of M. pulmonis disease were prevalent among the aspartame and MTBE study rats and that the rats were not specific-pathogen-free. Because the lymphoma type, cellular morphology, and organ distribution reported in these studies are atypical of lymphoma in rats, because lymphocyte and plasma cell accumulation in the lung is characteristic of M. pulmonis disease, and because M. pulmonis disease can be exacerbated by experimental manipulations, including chemical treatment, we suggest that a plausible alternative explanation for the reported results of these bioassays is that the studies were confounded by M. pulmonis disease and that lesions of the disease were interpreted as lymphoma.

Gestational, pathologic and biochemical differences between very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency and long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency in the mouse.

Although many patients have been found to have very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency, none have been documented with long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCAD) deficiency. In order to understand the metabolic pathogenesis of long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders, we generated mice with VLCAD deficiency (VLCAD(-/-)) and compared their pathologic and biochemical phenotypes of mice with LCAD deficiency (LCAD(-/-)) and wild-type mice. VLCAD(-/-) mice had milder fatty change in liver and heart. Dehydrogenation of various acyl-CoA substrates by liver, heart and skeletal muscle mitochondria differed among the three genotypes. The results for liver were most informative as VLCAD(-/-) mice had a reduction in activity toward palmitoyl-CoA and oleoyl-CoA (58 and 64% of wild-type, respectively), whereas LCAD(-/-) mice showed a more profoundly reduced activity toward these substrates (35 and 32% of wild-type, respectively), with a significant reduction of activity toward the branched chain substrate 2,6-dimethylheptanoyl-CoA. C(16) and C(18) acylcarnitines were elevated in bile, blood and serum of fasted VLCAD(-/-) mice, whereas abnormally elevated C(12) and C(14) acylcarnitines were prominent in LCAD(-/-) mice. Progeny with the combined LCAD(+/+)//VLCAD(+/-) genotype were over-represented in offspring from sires and dams heterozygous for both LCAD and VLCAD mutations. In contrast, no live mice with a compound LCAD(-/-)//VLCAD(-/-) genotype were detected.

Cyclophosphamide decreases nitrotyrosine formation and inhibits nitric oxide production by alveolar macrophages in mycoplasmosis.

We previously reported that congenic C57BL/6 inducible nitric oxide synthase(-/-) (iNOS(-/-)) mice infected with Mycoplasma pulmonis developed higher bacterial numbers and lung lesion scores than C57BL/6 iNOS(+/+) controls but had similar lung nitrotyrosine levels. The present studies investigated the role of inflammatory cells in nitrotyrosine formation during mycoplasmal infection. iNOS(+/+) and iNOS(-/-) mice were injected with cyclophosphamide (CYP) and inoculated with 10(7) CFU of M. pulmonis. CYP pretreatment of M. pulmonis-infected iNOS(+/+) and iNOS(-/-) mice reduced polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) within bronchoalveolar lavages (BALs) by 88 and 72%, respectively, and whole-lung myeloperoxidase levels by 80 and 78%, respectively, at 72 h postinfection but did not alter the number of alveolar macrophages (AMs) in BALs. CYP treatment also significantly decreased nitrate and nitrite (NOx) levels in BALs and plasma of infected iNOS(+/+) mice, whereas neither CYP nor mycoplasmal infection altered NOx in iNOS(-/-) mice. CYP reduced lung nitrotyrosine levels in both iNOS(+/+) and iNOS(-/-) mice to uninfected-control levels as shown by immunohistochemical staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and inhibited mycoplasmal killing by iNOS(+/+) mice in vivo. CYP inhibited the production of gamma interferon-inducible NOx by iNOS(+/+) AMs in vitro but did not alter the number of iNOS-positive AMs, as detected by immunocytochemistry. In addition, AMs from CYP-treated iNOS(+/+) mice had significantly decreased ability to kill mycoplasmas in vitro. These results demonstrate that reactive species generated by inflammatory cells as well as PMN myeloperoxidase are important contributors to nitrotyrosine formation during mycoplasmal infection and that treatment with CYP decreases NO* production by AMs and inhibits mycoplasmal killing.

Lack of amiloride-sensitive transport across alveolar and respiratory epithelium of iNOS(-/-) mice in vivo.

The extent to which endogenously generated nitric oxide alters Na(+) transport across the mammalian alveolar epithelium in vivo has not been documented. Herein we measured alveolar fluid clearance and nasal potential differences in mice lacking the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase [iNOS; iNOS(-/-)] and their corresponding wild-type controls [iNOS(+/+)]. Alveolar fluid clearance values in iNOS(+/+) and iNOS(-/-) anesthetized mice with normal oxygenation and acid-base balance were ~30% of instilled fluid/30 min. In both groups of mice, fluid absorption was dependent on vectorial Na(+) movement. Amiloride (1.5 mM) decreased alveolar fluid clearance in iNOS(+/+) mice by 61%, whereas forskolin (50 microM) increased alveolar fluid clearance by 55% by stimulating amiloride-insensitive pathways. Neither agent altered alveolar fluid clearance in iNOS(-/-) mice. Hyperoxia upregulated iNOS expression in iNOS(+/+) mice and decreased their amiloride-sensitive component of alveolar fluid clearance but had no effect on the corresponding values in iNOS(-/-) mice. Nasal potential difference measurements were consistent with alveolar fluid clearance in that both groups of mice had similar baseline values, which were amiloride sensitive in the iNOS(+/+) but not in the iNOS(-/-) mice. These data suggest that nitric oxide produced by iNOS under basal conditions plays an important role in regulating amiloride-sensitive Na(+) channels in alveolar and airway epithelia.

Variations in the surface proteins and restriction enzyme systems of Mycoplasma pulmonis in the respiratory tract of infected rats.

Restriction and modification (R-M) systems are generally thought to protect bacteria from invasion by foreign DNA. This paper proposes the existence of an alternative role for the phase-variable R-M systems encoded by the hsd loci of Mycoplasma pulmonis. Populations of M. pulmonis cells that arose during growth in different environments were compared with respect to R-M activity and surface antigen production. When M. pulmonis strain X1048 was propagated in laboratory culture medium, > 95% of colony-forming units (cfu) lacked R-M activity and produced the variable surface protein VsaA. Mycoplasmas isolated from the nose of experimentally infected rats also lacked R-M activity and produced VsaA. In contrast, the cell population of mycoplasmas isolated from the lower respiratory tract of the infected rats was more complex. The most dramatic results were obtained for mycoplasmas isolated from the trachea. At 14 days postinfection, 38% of mycoplasma isolates produced a Vsa protein other than VsaA, and 34% of isolates had active restriction systems. These data suggest that differences in selection pressures in animal tissues affect the surface proteins and the R-M activity of the mycoplasmal cell population. We propose that variations in the production of R-M activity and cell surface proteins are important for the survival of the mycoplasma within the host.

Overproduction of perlecan core protein in cultured cells and transgenic mice.

Heparan sulphate proteoglycan (HSPG) and amyloid P component are the only macromolecules consistently associated with all varieties of amyloid, irrespective of the type of amyloid protein, suggesting that HSPG may play a pathogenetic role in amyloid formation through a common mechanism. In the case of Alzheimer's disease (AD), HSPG, such as perlecan, co-accumulates with amyloid-beta protein (Abeta), a main constituent of amyloid plaques, and paired helical filaments (PHFs). Additionally, in vitro, HSPG accelerates both Abeta fibril and PHF formation and protects Abeta from degradation. Therefore, this study first established lines of P19 mouse embryonic carcinoma cells stably carrying an expression vector encoding the complete perlecan core protein (approximately 400 kD). In the cell lysates, overexpressed perlecan was identified as an approximately 400 kD protein without glycosaminoglycan side-chains, while in the media, secreted perlecan was mostly glycosylated, suggesting that the secretion and glycosylation of perlecan are coupled. Next, transgenic mice were produced using the same expression vector. Marked perlecan overexpression occurred in the cytoplasm of multiple tissues including the brain, heart, kidney, and pancreas, without a discernible increase of perlecan in extracellular matrices. The transgenic mice up to 18 months of age did not develop amyloid or AD-like pathology in the brain or elsewhere, based on histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses. Thus, overproduction of perlecan core protein is insufficient to lead to amyloidosis and AD-like pathology.

Accumulation of amyloid-beta protein in exocrine glands of transgenic mice overexpressing a carboxyl terminal portion of amyloid protein precursor.

Amyloid-beta protein (Abeta) and its precursor (betaPP) play important roles in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease and inclusion-body myositis. In humans, Abeta deposits are found in brain, skeletal muscle, and skin. Therefore, we have investigated possible Abeta deposits in multiple tissues of two transgenic mouse lines overexpressing the signal plus Abeta-bearing 99-amino acid carboxyl terminal sequences of betaPP under the control of a cytomegalovirus enhancer/beta-actin promoter. One of the lines developed Abeta-immunoreactive intracellular deposits consistently in the pancreas and lacrimal gland, and occasionally in gastric, DeSteno's, and lingual glands. Although the Abeta deposits increased during ageing and degenerative changes of the tissues were observed, little or no extracellular Abeta deposits were observed up to the age of 25 months. These lines of transgenic mice are useful for studying the molecular mechanisms of development and clearance of intracellular Abeta deposits.

Quantitative analysis of Helicobacter pylori infection in a mouse model.

Progress in elucidating the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori gastric infection and in developing an H. pylori vaccine will be aided by an animal model in which H. pylori can be reliably detected. To validate the use of the mouse model of H. pylori infection, we determined the susceptibility of three inbred strains of mice (C57BL/6J, C57BL/10J and BALB/c) to two VacA+/CagA+ isolates of H. pylori (SPM326 and M1.16) and determined the effectiveness of microbiological, histological and molecular assays for H. pylori detection. For the detection of H. pylori in inoculated mice, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was the most sensitive assay (82%), histological evaluation the next most sensitive (66%) and microbiological evaluation the least sensitive (38%); the assays were equally specific (100%). Of the two H. pylori isolates, M1.16 showed the highest rate of colonization, but SPM326 displayed the highest rate of persistent infection. Among the three mouse strains, C57BL/6J mice showed the highest level of both susceptibility to colonization and persistent infection. Anti-H. pylori antibody responses were induced in all inoculated mice and persisted for up to 8 weeks after H. pylori clearance. These results indicate that inbred mice experimentally infected with H. pylori is a reliable model for human infection, but host susceptibility to colonization and persistence of infection are dependent on the H. pylori isolate and the mouse strain.

Helicobacter pylori-induced mucosal inflammation is Th1 mediated and exacerbated in IL-4, but not IFN-gamma, gene-deficient mice.

To elucidate the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis, we studied immune responses of C57BL/6J wild-type (WT), SCID, and gene deficient (IFN-gamma-/- and IL-4-/-) mice following infection with a pathogenic isolate of H. pylori (SPM326). During early infection in WT mice, mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cells accumulated in the gastric lamina propria, and the numbers of cells in the inflamed mucosa expressing IFN-gamma, but not IL-4, mRNA rose significantly (p < 0.005), consistent with a local Th1 response. Splenic T cells from the same infected WT mice produced high levels of IFN-gamma, no detectable IL-4, and low amounts of IL-10 following in vitro H. pylori urease stimulation, reflecting a systemic Th1 response. Infected C57BL/6J SCID mice did not develop gastric inflammation despite colonization by many bacteria. Infected C57BL/10J and BALB/c mice also did not develop gastric inflammation and displayed a mixed Th1/Th2 splenic cytokine profile. These data imply a major role for the Th1 cytokine IFN-gamma in H. pylori-associated gastric inflammation in C57BL/6J mice. Compared with WT animals, infected IL-4-/- animals had more severe gastritis and higher levels of IFN-gamma production by urease-stimulated splenocytes (p < 0.01), whereas IFN-gamma-/- mice exhibited no gastric inflammation and higher levels of IL-4 production by stimulated splenocytes. These findings establish C57BL/6J mice as an important model for H. pylori infection and demonstrate that up-regulated production of IFN-gamma, in the absence of the opposing effects of IL-4 (and possibly IL-10), plays a pivotal role in promoting H. pylori-induced mucosal inflammation.

Germline and somatic loss of function of the mouse cpk gene causes biliary ductal pathology that is genetically modulated.

The mouse cpk mutation is the most extensively characterized murine model of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and closely resembles human autosomal recessive PKD (ARPKD), with the exception that B6-cpk/cpk homozygotes do not express the biliary ductal plate malformation (DPM) lesion. However, homozygous mutants from outcrosses to other strains, e.g. DBA/2J (D2), CD-1, BALB/c and Mus mus castaneus (CAST), express the DPM. The current study was designed: (i) to characterize the cpk-associated biliary disease in affected F(2) homozygotes from intercrosses with either CAST or D2; and (ii) to evaluate focal biliary cysts identified in heterozygotes from a D2-cpk congenic strain. We found that all F(2) cpk/cpk pups expressed both the typical renal cystic disease and the DPM. The DPM severity, assessed using semi-quantitative histopathological analysis, was markedly variable in these F(2) progeny. We found no correlation between the severity of the DPM and the renal cystic disease in either F(2) cohort. In addition, we identified focal cysts, apparently of biliary origin, in the livers of both aged D2-+/cpk and F(1) heterozygotes. Genetic analysis demonstrated loss of heterozygosity at the cpk interval and supports a loss-of-function model for biliary cysts. We conclude that the cpk allele contains an inactivating mutation which disrupts tubulo-epithelial differentiation in the kidney and biliary tract. Expression of the biliary lesion is modulated by genetic background, and the specific biliary phenotype is determined by whether loss of function of the cpk gene occurs as a germline or a somatic event.

Antibody responses after Sendai virus infection and their role in upper and lower respiratory tract disease in rats.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Sendai virus infection in rats is an excellent model for studying development and role of host defenses throughout the respiratory tract after this infection. Therefore, development of serum antibody responses and disease were studied. METHODS: Forty-two anesthetized pathogen-free 3- to 4- week-old LEW/NCr rats were inoculated intranasally with Sendai virus. At postinoculation days 0, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, and 14, rats were euthanized by administration of a pentobarbital sodium overdose followed by exsanguination. Serum was obtained from all animals, and nasal wash and bronchoalveolar lavage specimens were collected during selected experiments. An ELISPOT assay was used to measure numbers of Sendai virus-specific antibody-forming cells in respiratory tract lymphoid tissue. RESULTS: Recovery from disease and clearance of virus from respiratory tract tissues coincided with development of serum antibody responses. Upper respiratory tract lymph nodes were the initial and major sites of appearance of antibody-forming cells. Immunoglobulin G was the predominant subtype of these cells during recovery from the infection and in rats resistant to infection. Passive transfer of antisera or specific IgG protected the lower but not the upper respiratory tract. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating components of immunity have a major role in resistance and recovery from disease in the lower respiratory tract, whereas local responses are likely involved in protection of the upper respiratory tract. Local lymphoid tissues are the major production sites of IgG, which contributes to resistance to and recovery from respiratory tract diseases.

Acceleration and increased severity of collagen-induced arthritis in P-selectin mutant mice.

P-selectin plays an important role in leukocyte adherence to microvascular endothelium and is expressed in synovial tissue from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the contribution of P-selectin to the initiation and chronicity of joint inflammation is not well understood. In these studies, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was induced in P-selectin mutant (-/-) mice to explore the role of P-selectin in the development of joint inflammation. Surprisingly, CIA onset was accelerated and severity was increased in P-selectin mutant mice, compared with wild-type mice (+/+). Increased levels of anti-type II collagen IgG were detected in both nonarthritic and arthritic P-selectin mutant mice from days 14-91. In addition, splenocytes isolated from immunized and nonimmunized P-selectin mutant mice produced significantly less IL-2 and IL-4, but significantly higher levels of IL-10 and IL-5 than splenocytes from wild-type mice. These observations show that P-selectin-mediated leukocyte rolling is not required for the development of murine CIA and that P-selectin expression exerts a controlling effect on the development of Ag-driven inflammatory joint disease, possibly by mediating the recruitment and/or trafficking of specific leukocyte subtypes into lymphoid tissue or inflammatory foci.

Surfactant protein A mediates mycoplasmacidal activity of alveolar macrophages by production of peroxynitrite.

We have previously shown that surfactant protein A (SP-A) mediates in vitro killing of mycoplasmas by alveolar macrophages (AMs) from resistant C57BL/6 mice through a nitric oxide (.NO)-dependent mechanism. Herein, SP-A-deficient [SP-A(-/-)] and inducible.NO synthase-deficient [iNOS(-/-)] mice were infected intranasally with 10(5) or 10(7) colony-forming units of Mycoplasma pulmonis. SP-A(-/-) mice were as susceptible to mycoplasmal infection as highly susceptible C3H/He mice, and far more susceptible than resistant C57BL/6 mice. iNOS(-/-) mice had significantly greater numbers of mycoplasmas and severity of lung lesions than iNOS(+/+) controls. In vitro, AMs isolated from C57BL/6 mice, activated with IFN-gamma, incubated with SP-A (25 micrograms/ml), and infected with 10(10) colony-forming units of M. pulmonis, killed mycoplasmas within 6 h. Mycoplasmal killing was abrogated by 1,000 units/ml of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase. In the absence of AMs, incubation of M. pulmonis with the peroxynitrite generator 3-morpholinosynodiomine.HCl (SIN-1) effected complete killing of mycoplasmas by 90 min in a dose-dependent manner. Addition of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (3,000 units/ml), which converts SIN-1 to a.NO donor, prevented this killing. Neither of the reactive oxygen species generated by xanthine oxidase (10 milliunits/ml, plus 500 microM xanthine and 100 microM FeCl3), nor.NO generated by 1-propanamine-3-(2-hydroxy-2-nitroso-1-propylhydrazine (PAPA NONOate) (100 microM) killed mycoplasmas. These data establish that peroxynitrite generation by AMs is necessary for the killing of a pathogen in vitro and in vivo.

Targeted disruption of mouse long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase gene reveals crucial roles for fatty acid oxidation.

Abnormalities of fatty acid metabolism are recognized to play a significant role in human disease, but the mechanisms remain poorly understood. Long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCAD) catalyzes the initial step in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO). We produced a mouse model of LCAD deficiency with severely impaired FAO. Matings between LCAD +/- mice yielded an abnormally low number of LCAD +/- and -/- offspring, indicating frequent gestational loss. LCAD -/- mice that reached birth appeared normal, but had severely reduced fasting tolerance with hepatic and cardiac lipidosis, hypoglycemia, elevated serum free fatty acids, and nonketotic dicarboxylic aciduria. Approximately 10% of adult LCAD -/- males developed cardiomyopathy, and sudden death was observed in 4 of 75 LCAD -/- mice. These results demonstrate the crucial roles of mitochondrial FAO and LCAD in vivo.

Amyloid-beta deposition in skeletal muscle of transgenic mice: possible model of inclusion body myopathy.

Inclusion body myopathy is a progressive muscle disorder characterized by nuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions and vacuolation of muscle fibers. Affected muscle fibers contain deposits of congophilic amyloid, amyloid-beta immunoreactive filaments, and paired helical filaments, all of which are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in brain. Accumulations of amyloid-beta and its precursor are thought to play important roles in the pathogenesis of both inclusion body myopathy and Alzheimer's disease. Overexpression of mutant forms of beta protein precursor in transgenic mice by neuron-specific promoters has been reported to cause amyloid deposits in the brain. Here we report that overexpression in transgenic mice of the signal plus 99-amino acid carboxyl-terminal sequences of beta protein precursor, under the control of a cytomegalovirus enhancer/beta-actin promoter, resulted in vacuolation and increasing accumulation of the 4-kd amyloid-beta and the carboxyl-terminus in skeletal muscle fibers during aging. These deposits in transgenic muscle only rarely showed Congo red birefringence. Thus, overexpression of part of beta protein precursor in transgenic mice led to development of some of the characteristic features of inclusion body myopathy. These mice may be a useful model of inclusion body myopathy, which shares a number of pathological markers with Alzheimer's disease.

Angiogenesis in mice with chronic airway inflammation: strain-dependent differences.

Chronic inflammation is associated with blood vessel proliferation and enlargement and changes in vessel phenotype. We sought to determine whether these changes represent different types of angiogenesis and whether they are stimulus dependent. Chronic airway inflammation, produced by infection with Mycoplasma pulmonis, was compared in strains of mice known to be resistant (C57BL/6) or susceptible (C3H). Tracheal vascularity, assessed in whole mounts after Lycopersicon esculentum lectin staining, increased in both strains at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after infection, but the type of vascular remodeling was different. The number of vessels doubled in tracheas of C57BL/6 mice, with corresponding increases of capillaries and venules. In contrast, neither the number nor the length of vessels changed in C3H mice. Instead, vessel diameter and endothelial cell number doubled, and the proportion of venules doubled with a corresponding decrease of capillaries. Although the infection had no effect on baseline plasma leakage, in both strains it potentiated the leakage produced by substance P. We conclude that the same stimulus can result in blood vessel proliferation or enlargement, depending on the host response. Endothelial cells proliferate in both cases, but in one case new capillaries form whereas in the other capillaries convert to venules.

Factors affecting clinical outcome following endoscopic perforator vein ablation.

BACKGROUND: Despite good outcomes reported with minimally invasive, subfascial endoscopic perforator surgery (SEPS), some patients demonstrate poor healing or recurrence of venous ulcers. The goal of this study was to identify factors that lead to failure of SEPS. METHODS: Forty-eight consecutive patients who had undergone 57 SEPS procedures were analyzed. Mean follow-up was 17 +/- 2 months (range 2 weeks to 52 months). RESULTS: All active ulcers (n = 22) at the time of surgery healed in an average of 99 +/- 37 days (range 11 to 670). Eight limbs had poor healing of their ulcer (>40 days); five (9%) new/recurrent ulcers developed postoperatively. Deep venous obstruction was associated with delayed ulcer healing (316 +/- 171 versus 51 +/- 14 days, P < 0.01) and ulcer recurrence (P < 0.0001). Poor ulcer healing and recurrence were not associated with lipodermatosclerosis, edema, ulcer duration >3 months, or previous recurrences. Ulcer size >2 cm (P < 0.05) and combined ilio-femoral and popliteal/tibial reflux were associated with poor ulcer healing (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SEPS could not prevent recurrent or new ulceration in 9% of limbs. Venous outflow obstruction was associated with ulcer recurrence and prolonged ulcer healing. Multilevel deep venous reflux and ulcer size >2 cm were also associated with delayed healing.

Roles of innate and adaptive immunity in respiratory mycoplasmosis.

Current evidence suggests that host defense in respiratory mycoplasmosis is dependent on both innate and humoral immunity. To further delineate the roles of innate and adaptive immunity in antimycoplasmal defenses, we intranasally infected C3H/HeSnJ-scid/scid (C3H-SCID), C3H/HeSnJ (C3H), C57BL/6J-scid/scid (C57-SCID), and C57BL/6N (C57BL) mice with Mycoplasma pulmonis and at 14 and 21 days postinfection performed quantitative cultures of lungs and spleens, quantification of lung lesions, and histopathologic assessments of all other major organs. We found that numbers of mycoplasmas in lungs were associated with genetic background (C3H susceptible, C57BL resistant) rather than functional state of adaptive immunity, indicating that innate immunity is the main contributor to antimycoplasmal defense of the lungs. Extrapulmonary dissemination of mycoplasmas with colonization of spleens and histologic lesions in multiple organs was a common occurrence in all mice. The absence of adaptive immune responses in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice resulted in increased mycoplasmal colonization of spleens and lesions in extrapulmonary sites, particularly spleens, hearts, and joints, and also reduced lung lesion severity. The transfer of anti-M. pulmonis serum to infected C3H-SCID mice prevented extrapulmonary infection and disease, while the severity of lung lesions was restored by transfer of naive spleen cells to infected C3H-SCID mice. Collectively, our results strongly support the conclusions that innate immunity provides antimycoplasmal defense of the lungs and humoral immunity has the major role in defense against systemic dissemination of mycoplasmal infection, but cellular immune responses may be important in exacerbation of mycoplasmal lung disease.

Surfactant protein A mediates mycoplasmacidal activity of alveolar macrophages.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumonia and exacerbates other respiratory diseases in humans. We investigated the potential role of surfactant protein (SP) A in antimycoplasmal defense using alveolar macrophages (AMs) from C57BL/6NCr (C57BL) mice, which are highly resistant to infections of Mycoplasma pulmonis. C57BL AMs, activated with interferon (IFN)-gamma and incubated with SP-A (25 micrograms/ml) at 37 degrees C, produced significant amounts of nitric oxide (.NO; nitrate and nitrite production = 1.1 microM.h-1.10(5) AMs-1) and effected an 83% decrease in mycoplasma colony-forming units (CFUs) by 6 h postinfection. Preincubation of AMs with the inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine abolished .NO production and SP-A-mediated killing of mycoplasmas. No decrease in CFUs was seen when IFN-gamma-activated macrophages were infected with mycoplasmas in the absence of SP-A despite significant .NO production (nitrate and nitrite production = 0.6 microM.h-1.10(5) AMs-1). These results demonstrate that SP-A mediates killing of mycoplasmas by AMs, possibly through an .NO-dependent mechanism.