Chronic Ulcerative Dermatitis in Black Mice

Chronic ulcerative dermatitis develops in many black strains, sometimes causing severe infection of underlying muscle and connective tissue secondary to opportunistic organisms. At the Jackson Laboratory, one small research colony was almost lost to chronic ulcerative dermatitis and ringtail (a skin disorder associated with low humidity) in 1987. A variety of pathogenic agents, dietary deficiencies, and mutations can cause skin diseases that may resemble chronic ulcerative dermatitis. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, trichotillomania, and Tourette's syndrome all manifest features similar to stages of chronic ulcerative dermatitis in black mice. Chronic ulcerative dermatitis in black mice has a number of similarities to compulsive grooming syndromes that affect a variety of domestic species and humans. The black mouse chronic ulcerative dermatitis may prove to be a more useful model for compound testing in the future because of its small size, short gestation time, polytocous nature, and low maintenance costs.