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Stress hormones or general well-being are not altered in immune-deficient mice lacking either T- and B- lymphocytes or Interferon gamma signaling if kept under specific pathogen free housing conditions.

Sarah JeutheJosephine KemnaChristoph Philipp KemnaDario ZochollRobert KlopfleischRupert PalmeClemens KirschbaumChrista Thoene-ReinekeThomas Kammertoens
Published in: PloS one (2020)
It is controversially discussed whether immune-deficient mice experience severity in the absence of infection. Because a comprehensive analysis of the well-being of immune-deficient mice under specific pathogen free conditions is missing, we used a multi-parametric test analyzing, corticosterone, weight, nest building and facial expression over a period of 9 month to determine the well-being of two immune-deficient mouse lines (recombination activating gene 2- and interferon gamma receptor-deficient mice). We do not find evidence for severity when comparing immune-deficient mice to their heterozygous immune-competent littermates. Our data challenge the assumption that immune-deficiency per se regardless of housing conditions causes severity. Based on our study we propose to use objective non-invasive parameters determined by laboratory animal science for decisions concerning severity of immune-deficient mice.
Keyphrases
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  • dendritic cells
  • poor prognosis
  • dna damage
  • early onset
  • mental health
  • machine learning
  • candida albicans
  • binding protein