Vitamin A levels influence Shiga toxin 2 susceptibility in BALB/c mice

GABRIEL CABRERA; ROMINA J. FERNANDEZ-BRANDO; MARÍA PILAR MEJÍAS; ABREY RECALDE, MARÍA JIMENA; ALIPIO PINTO; JORGE GOLDSTEIN; MARINA S. PALERMO

Los Cocos, Córdoba

Congreso; LXI Reunión anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología; 2013

Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología

Shiga-toxin (Stx) producing Escherichia coli strains can cause a broad spectrum of human diseases, including the life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome. Since vitamin A (VA) influences a wide variety of processes in the intestine and the immune system, the aim of this study was to analyze whether VA levels influenced Stx2-susceptibility in BALB/c mice. A VA-deficient (VA-D) diet was used to generate VA-D mice, as previously described (Smith, Levy et al. 1987). After the intravenous (i.v.) inoculation of a lethal dose 100 (LD100) of Stx2 (4-5 ng), VA-D mice showed a reduced mortality as compared to Control mice, (% mortality, n): (A) Control mice 95%, 20; (B) VA-D mice: 5%, 20. p