Kinetics of IFN-Gamma and TNF-Alpha Gene Expression and Their Relationship with Disease Progression after Infection with Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Guinea Pigs

摘要

PurposeGuinea pig is one of the most suitable animal models for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) infection since it shows similarities to pulmonary infection in humans. Although guinea pig shows hematogenous spread of M. tb infection into the whole body, immunological studies have mainly focused on granulomatous tissues in lungs and spleens. In order to investigate the time-course of disease pathogenesis and immunological profiles in each infected organ, we performed the following approaches with guinea pigs experimentally infected with M. tb over a 22-week post-infection period.