tBrucellae are facultative intracellular pathogens causing disease in a wide range of domestic and wildanimals as well as in humans. Brucella (B.) microti is a recently recognized species and was isolated fromcommon voles (Microtus arvalis), red foxes and soil in Austria and the Czech Republic. Its pathogenicityfor livestock and its zoonotic potential has not been confirmed yet. In the present study 25 SPF chickenembryos were inoculated at day 11 of age with 1.6 × 103and 1.6 × 105B. microti by yolk sac and allantoicsac routes. Re-isolation of B. microti indicated rapid multiplication of bacteria (up to 1.7 × 1012CFU).B. microti provoked marked gross lesions, i.e. hemorrhages and necroses. All inoculated embryos weredead (100% mortality) in between 2nd and 4th day post inoculation. The predominant histopathologicallesion was necroses in liver, kidneys, lungs, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, spinal meninges, yolk sac andchorioallantoic membrane. Immunohistochemical examination showed the presence of Brucella antigenin nearly all of these organs, with infection being mainly restricted to non-epithelial cells or tissues. Thisstudy provides the first results on the multiplication and pathogenicity of the mouse pathogenic B. microtiin chicken embryos. These data suggest that, even though chicken are notmammals, they could providea useful tool for understanding the pathogenesis of B. microti associated disease. |
