Serum ciliotoxic activity in mutant mice with some hereditary alterations resembling cystic fibrosis.

Serum ciliotoxic activity (SCA), which had been described in cystic fibrosis (CF), 
was studied in mutant mice with some hereditary alterations resembling this 
inherited disease. A test was developed to detect SCA in biologic 
fluids by means of a natural vibratile system; it consisted in 
the incubation of mouse sperm with different CF serum dilutions under 
controlled conditions, in order to determine the sperm translation cessation time 
(STCT) and the sperm activity cessation time (SACT). As the findings 
of this study were similar to those obtained by other authors 
who have been employing alternative systems, it was decided to apply 
this method on mice serum. Sera were obtained from male and 
female 3- to 4-wk-old mice of DBA/2J-cri, C57BL/6J-bgJ, and BALB/c inbred 
strains; SCA was investigated in affected homozygotes and their +/? siblings 
were used as controls. Male 8- to 16-wk-old BALB/c mice were 
employed as sperm donors. Significant differences were found between cri/cri and 
+/? mice of the DBA/2J-cri strain in both STCT and SACT 
determinations at 1/10 serum dilution. It is concluded that mouse sperm 
is a system sensitive enough to detect SCA in biologic fluids 
from human beings. Likewise, the test of the mouse sperm allowed 
us to detect SCA in cri/cri mice, turning this mutation into 
a possible animal model for CF. 