Role of Bcl-2 in experimental murine pneumococcal meningitis

Necrotic and apoptotic neuronal cell death can be found in pneumococcal meningitis. We have investigated the role of Bcl-2 as an anti-apoptotic gene-product in pneumococcal meningitis using Bcl-2-knockout (Bcl-2 -/-) mice. Using a model of pneumococcal meningitis and cerebritis induced by intracerebral infection, Bcl-2-deficient mice and control littermates were assessed by clinical score and tight rope test (TRT) at 0, 12, 24, 32 and 36h after intracerebral injection of pneumococci (104 CFU/25µl saline) or 25µl normal saline. Then, mice were sacrificed, bacterial titers in blood, spleen and cerebellar homogenat…