Persistent Corynebacterium bovis Infectious Hyperkeratotic Dermatitis in Immunocompetent Epidermal-Mutant dep/dep Mice

• Published in: Veterinary pathology Vol. 57; no. 4; pp. 586 - 589
• Main Authors: Miedel, Emily L., Ragland, Natalie H., Slate, Andrea R., Engelman, Robert W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Animals; Communicable Diseases - transmission; Communicable Diseases - veterinary; Corynebacterium; Corynebacterium Infections - prevention & control; Corynebacterium Infections - transmission; Corynebacterium Infections - veterinary; Dermatitis - microbiology; Dermatitis - veterinary; Epidermis - microbiology; Epidermis - pathology; Hyperkeratosis, Epidermolytic - veterinary; Mice; Mice, Nude - microbiology; Skin - microbiology; Skin - pathology; skin; immunocompetent; pathology; Corynebacterium bovis; dep/dep
• ISSN: 0300-9858; 1544-2217
• DOI: 10.1177/0300985820922219

During a previously reported program-wide Corynebacterium bovis outbreak, both immunocompetent depilated (dep/dep) mutant mice and transgenic mice that express the papillomavirus E6 oncoprotein became persistently infected with C. bovis. An orthokeratotic, hyperkeratotic, acanthotic dermatitis developed in the C. bovis–infected dep/dep mice, which remained C. bovis PCR-positive for >45 days prior to euthanasia as part of the program-wide C. bovis eradication effort. Since both affected strains of mice have altered skin homeostasis, immune status or the presence of hair may not alone be sufficient to explain strain susceptibility to C. bovis–related cutaneous disease. In order to avoid invalidation of preclinical studies due to C. bovis infection, it may be necessary to isolate immunodeficient mouse strains, implement facililty-wide surveillance for C. bovis, and sterilize equipment with vaporized hydrogen peroxide.