Susceptibility of variety of animals has been investigated in this laboratory. This paper is to report the experimental results with mongolian gerbile.
Eighty-four mongolian gerbile (43 females and 41 males), aged 60 to 180 days, were used. The animals were from the colonies which had been raised in the National Institute of Health since 1952. Four strains of human type tubercle bacilli (one highly virulent, 2 moderately virulent, and 1 slightly virulent), four of bovine type (two highly virulent and 2 slightly virulent), and one of vole bacillus, 9 strains in all, were injected subcutaneously and tuberculin tests and tests for tuberculin shock were carried out.
It was found that tuberculous infection took place in mongolian gerbile, which developed tubercl-es in lungs and other organs, although to a less extent than those in guinea pigs. No difffenerce was demonstrated between the animals received human type organisms and those received bovinetype ones. Injection of vole bacilli resulted in merely formation of localized abscess.
Individual susceptibility was shown by the different appearance of changes even among those of the same age.
No tuberculin skin reaction was perceived, while death from shock by tuberculin was observed.