Development of a laboratory animal model for infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis.

Guinea pigs, gerbils, voles, golden hamsters and Chinese hamsters exposed to experimental infection with Moraxella bovis by ocular instillation or associated routes showed transient infections only and no clinical signs. Five strains of mice were of similarly low susceptibility but another, the C57 Bl strain, was relatively susceptible and treatment with corticosteroid before infection regularly produced keratoconjunctivitis. This system therefore offers a promising model for studies on infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis.