Animal models used to test the interactions between infectious agents and products of cigarette smoked implicated in sudden infant death syndrome

Animal test systems are reviewed that have relevance to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are reviewed. These test interactions between infectious a gents (or their toxins) and products of cigarette smoke. Infectious agents implicated in SIDS include members of the enterobacteria and clostridia, St aphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Smoking is thought to be th e single most preventable cause of SIDS. Tobacco smoke contains many extrem ely toxic products including cyanide and nicotine. Many animal test systems are available to examine the potency of bacterial toxins and smoke-derived components. These include mice, hamsters, rats and chick embryos. Such sys tems reveal synergy between bacterial toxins, especially endotoxin and supe rantigens. They have also demonstrated potentiation of low levels of bacter ial toxin by low levels of both nicotine and its primary metabolite, cotini ne. These findings suggest a possible causal explanation for the fact that passive exposure to cigarette smoke is a risk factor in sudden infant death syndrome. (C) 1999 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Publi shed by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.