Nocardia infections in congenitally athymic (nude) mice and in other inbred mouse strains.

The mortality rate and histopathological features of Nocardia asteroides and Nocardia brasiliensis infections in congenitally athymic (nude) mice of ICR and C3H/eB origins were quite different from what we found for Swiss white mice and other inbred mouse strains (namely, C57/BL/6J, New Zealand Black, BALB/c, CBA/LAC, and C3H/eB). The immunocompetent littermates of the congenitally athymic mice occupied an intermediate position between their athymic siblings and Swiss white mice in terms of their responses to both these organisms. Macrophage ingestion and destruction of N. brasiliensis, as demonstrated by electron microscopy, was found to occur. The T-lymphocyte appears to be an essential component in normal mouse resistance to infection by both N. asteroides and N. brasiliensis.