Induction of Leukemoid Disease in Mice by Mycoplasma fermentans

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Abstract
When strains of Mycoplasma fermentans recently isolated from patients were injected (108–109 cfu) ip daily for three to six days into mice, a granulocytic reaction (leukemoid disease) was induced. Mice that survived inoculations remained normal for about five weeks and then began to die of either acute or chronic leukemoid disease during a 40-week period. The growth of mice that survived the disease was significantly retarded. The disease was characterized by enlarged lymph nodes, hepatosplenomegaly, and a peripheral leukocyte count two to five times higher than normal, consisting mostly of mature and immature granulocytes. The normal ratio of lymphocytes to granulocytes was reversed. The most prominent histopathologic alterations occurred in the spleen and the bone marrow, which showed marked myeloproliferative changes. Acute leukemoid disease was different from the chronic form in that onset was more rapid, signs were more severe, and the fatality rate was higher. The disease was prevented by treatment of mice with gold thiomalate, tetracycline, or antiserum. Leukemoid disease was not induced in mice by Mycoplasma hominis (type 1), Mycoplasma orale (type 1), or Mycoplasma salivarium.

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