IMMUNE COMPETENCE AND DIABETES-MELLITUS .2. EXPERIMENTAL MOUSE STUDIES

An experimental model utilizing congenitally diabetic mice was established to answer the question whether such animals have altered immune responses and ability to ward off infections. Cellular immunity was suppressed in diabetic mice when the parameters of granuloma formation, allograft rejection, and delayed footpad swelling were tested. Spleen cells from diabetic mice grown in tissue culture had an impaired mitogenic response compared to those from control animals. In addition, when diabetic mice were inoculated with the common human intraoral organisms, B-hemolytic streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus, they could not contain the infection as well as normal littermates. Thus, immune function and infectious control mechanisms appear to be deficient in diabetic mice. © 1979.