Does Infection Progression of <i>Mycobacterium abscessus</i> Depend on Sex, Age, and Mouse strain?

Abstract The lack of a reliable chronic murine model limits drugs evaluation against Mycobacterium abscessus . Models show discrepancies, especially regarding host factors (mouse strain, sex and age). Using beads-model, we compared BALB/cJRJ and C57BL/6NCrl across sexes and ages. BALB/cJRJ showed more sustained infection and lower variability, with no significant sex- or age-related differences. Considering these results and the higher prevalence of NTM pulmonary infections in female patients, 5-6 weeks-old female BALB/cJRJ are appropriate for M. abscessus beads-model.