Abstract
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an idiopathic disorder in which the chief symptom is profound fatigue. To explore the relationship between immune stimulation and fatigue, we developed a murine model for quantifying fatigue: reduction in voluntary running and delayed initiation of grooming after swimming. Inoculation of female BALB c mice with Corynebacterium parvum antigen or the relatively avirulent Me49 strain of Toxoplasma gondii induced fatigue: baseline running reduced to less than 50 and 30% for 8 and 14 days, respectively, and delayed initiation of grooming after swimming in both immunologically stimulated groups. A threefold evaluation of serum transforming growth factor-β levels, a cytokine increased in CFS patients, was found in fatigued C. parvum- and T. gondii-inoculated mice. This murine model appears promising for investigation of the pathogenesis of immunologically mediated fatigue.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 161-165 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1992 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors thank Monica Tsang of R&D Systems for providing TGF-9 and antibodies to TGF-l3, and James Kaufmann for editorial assistance. This study was partially supported by Hennepin Faculty Associates Grant M969G. M. DeLaHunt was the recipient of a student research award from the Minnesota Medical Foundation.