Red-eared slider turtleinfection model.

Abstract

serves as an ideal model organism for studying tuberculosis due to its genetic similarity to. However, there is a need for more suitable animal models to studyinfections. In this study, we established a novel infection model using red-eared slider turtles (). The turtles were infected withvia subcutaneous injection in the hind limb. Inoculation with >10CFU ofresulted in acute infection, causing mortality in at least 80% of turtles within five weeks, whereas 10CFU caused only 10% mortality. In subacute infections,colonized and proliferated in various tissues for at least four weeks, with higher bacterial loads observed in the spleen and liver compared to the heart and lungs. Granuloma formation in the liver was correlated positively with bacterial load. Knockdown of adenylate kinase (ADK) inreduced bacterial load by one order of magnitude in the liver and by half in the spleen, suggesting ADK as a potential drug target. Treatment with amikacin and moxifloxacin reduced bacterial load by approximately one order of magnitude in the liver and by half in the spleen. The red-eared slider turtleinfection model developed in this study provides a robust tool for tuberculosis research.