Susceptibility of various animals to <i>Pneumocystis carinii</i> infection

, Hong, S T; , Park, K H; , Lee, S H

doi:1992.30.4.277

Korean J Parasito > Volume 30(4):1992 > Article

Original Article


Korean J Parasitol. 1992 Dec;30(4):277-281. English. Published online Mar 20, 1994. http://dx.doi.org/10.3347/kjp.1992.30.4.277
Copyright © 1992 by The Korean Society for Parasitology


Susceptibility of various animals to Pneumocystis carinii infection
S T Hong,K H Park and S H Lee
Department of Parasitology and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 110-799, Korea.


Abstract
Pneumocystis carinii (Pc) is an important opportunistic pathogen of immune compromised hosts, and is known to infect various animals. The present study observed the infection status of 6 mammals and 3 strains of albino rats with Pc after suppression of their immunity. Methyl-prednisolone was injected once a week and tetracycline was supplied with water for 5 to 21 weeks. Hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, cats and pigs were negative by impression smear, and only the rats were found infected by Pc. All of the three strains of rats, Sprague-Dawley(SD), Wistar(W) and Fisher(F), were infected by Pc but W rats showed heavier degree of infection in earlier period than F or SD rats. The present findings suggest that W rat is the best among the animals used in the present study for production of Pc.

Tables


	Table 1 SCheme of the immune suppression of various animals


	Table 2 Infection of P. carinii in the rats by the week of experiment

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