Abstract

Physical and immunological characteristics of the chimpanzee and guinea-pig subcutaneous chamber models for Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection were compared to evaluate their usefulness for gonococcal research. Urethral infection in chimpanzees anatomically resembled the human infection; however, individual variation in response, limited availability, and the presence of interfering micro-organisms in the urethra were found to limit the usefulness of the chimpanzee in immunological research. Although the guinea-pig subcutaneous chamber model may not be suitable for studying the attachment of gonococci to host cells or for the local production of IgA, it does have the immunological advantages of being more sensitive to infection, less variable in response, free of interfering micro-organisms, and is readily available to investigators. Except for differences in sensitivity and variability, results with the guinea-pig model paralleled results obtained in experiments with chimpanzees. Unlike chimpanzees, guinea-pigs are a comparatively inexpensive, rapidly replenishable animal, which after subcutaneous implantation with small porous chambers provide a convenient model for studying most immunological aspects of gonococcal infections.