(1) The replication method involves taking one month old New Zealand rabbits after birth. First, mild halothane anesthesia is used to induce hyperventilation. Then, a plastic hose is used to inoculate 1.0ml of pure culture medium containing 1.0 × 10000000-5.0 × 10000000 CFU/ml of Chlamydia pneumoniae from the nasal turbinates of the rabbits. On the 7th day, rabbits may show symptoms of pneumonia, which begin to improve on the 21st day, and by the 28th day, their lungs may appear completely normal.
(2) In clinical practice, human infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae can often result in self limiting respiratory symptoms or no clinical symptoms. The rabbit pneumonia replicated in this model only requires a small amount of pathogen to infect through the nasal route, and the model animals can develop pneumonia symptoms. Compared with the mouse Chlamydia pneumoniae pneumonia model, its symptoms are mild and short-lived, and its clinical manifestations are closer to the characteristics of human pneumonia.
(3) Comparative medicine shows that IgG antibodies can be produced in model animals from the 7th day of infection. In addition to Chlamydia pneumoniae being found in the lungs and spleen of animals, this pathogen has also been found in the liver and arterial arch, and some model animals may exhibit early signs of arteriosclerosis. The model established by this method is not only a good animal model for studying Chlamydia pneumoniae pneumonia, but also an ideal model for studying arteriosclerosis caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae.