If they do get in, such as via humans bringing them into the animal units, a lot of resource is required to get rid of the infections. One way is treatment with drugs, but it may mean a more radical approach. As infections do not cross the placenta between mum and babies, we have to perform a c-section just before birth, revive the pups and foster them onto infection-free mums. I have helped deliver many mouse pups in my time.PART IVSmoking. Fortunately animals don't smoke. However, because smoking is considered a social evil, alot is known about smoking and risks of disease. I suspect we willl soon be collecting information on booze, TV and online gambling, mobile phones and computers"We all know that ice cream consumption goes up when it is hot outside! It is hot outside because the sun is out! The suns gives off ultraviolet radiation that induces a sun tan! Ultraviolet radiation can induce damage to DNA! DNA breaks can lead to influences on dividing cells! Uncontrolled division of cells can give rise to give cancer! Therefore ice cream causes cancer?"Well maybe the above is abit far fetched, but we know that smoking increases the risk of MS, just as it can protect you from some
neurodegenerative diseases. Is this because of smoke? Is it because of nicotine? Is it because smokers exhibit a behaviour that is the risk factor? We know that females are smoking more and they have a higher risk of MS.
Well the simple answer is there is much to learn. Some answers we can seek through using animals, other aspects are much better done in humans.
I am sure Prof. G will keep you all informed about risk factorsPART VOne more risk factor is
Genetics. There are many genetic factors that increase the risk of developing MS, but one in particular is linked to the development of MS. This is the
major histocompatibility complex (target for DNA fingerprints) that controls how immune responses are generated.This also determines if you would reject an organ transplant. In mice if you have certain variants of the
major histocompatibility complex you may get EAE and others you will not. However if we take a disease-resistant mouse and engineer it so that the only difference is that it has a major histocompatibility complex comes from the susceptible mouse, then it gets disease.
The point of all of the above is that we start with the examing the human disease. We only use animals to address simple questions that help us to better understand the human condition, when we can not get the information from studying the disease.