Infection and Telomere Shortening in Mice
Author Information
Author(s): Ilmonen Petteri, Kotrschal Alexander, Penn Dustin J.
Primary Institution: Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Hypothesis
Does repeated exposure to an infectious agent cause telomere attrition in wild-derived house mice?
Conclusion
Infectious diseases can cause telomere attrition, and telomere length may serve as a biomarker for assessing exposure to infections.
Supporting Evidence
- Infected males showed significantly greater telomere attrition compared to sham-infected controls.
- Individuals with longer telomeres at the start were more resistant to infection.
- Infection resulted in systemic disease pathology in mice.
Takeaway
When mice got sick from Salmonella, their telomeres got shorter, which might make them age faster. This shows that getting sick can hurt their cells.
Methodology
Mice were infected with Salmonella enterica and telomere lengths were measured in white blood cells after five infections.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the use of wild-derived mice and the specific strains of Salmonella used.
Limitations
The study was limited by the small sample size and the inability to measure telomere lengths in all tissues due to mortality.
Participant Demographics
Wild-derived house mice (Mus musculus musculus) from Vienna, Austria.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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