DOSE RESPONSE OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES IN PREGNANT GUINEA PIGS FOR USE IN RISK ASSESSMENT

The overall objective of the research is to use pregnant guinea pigs to develop additional dose response information for L. monocytogenes-induced human stillbirths or abortions. The specific objectives are to: 1) conduct a range-finding experiment to determine the region of dose response overlap with the existing non-human primate study, 2) determine the dose response for adverse fetal effect after maternal exposure to L. monocytogenes, particularly low dose exposures resulting in 10-20% fetal illness or death, and determine endpoints that predict adverse pregnant outcome such as L. monocytogenes invasion of maternal liver, maternal spleen, placenta and fetus, and 3) compare the dose response curve developed in pregnant guinea pigs to mouse, primate and human dose response curves, and evaluate the guinea pig as a surrogate model for humans.