Abstract: Objective To establish and evaluate murine acute tuberculosis model by aerosol infection.  Methods BALB/c mice were challenged with different doses ofM. tuberculosisH37Rv by aerosol infection, and then treated for 15 doses by different compounds and drugs at 10 days after infection. At 3, 10 and 30 days after infection, the lungs of the mice were homogenized, serially diluted, and plated on 7H11 agar plates for enumerating the bacterial load. The severity of infection and the effect of the treatments were assessed by body weight, gross lung lesions and clony forming unit (cfu) in the lungs.  Results The cfu and histopathology in lungs of the mice showed that murine acute tuberculosis model were successfully established by aerosol infection. The 10⁶cfu/ml ofM. tuberculosisis suitable for this model. The treatment with Iisoniazid could reduce 5.95 lg cfu in comparison with that of untreated control at day 30 after infection. The active compound JYS-17 was screened out by the model.  Conclusion Murine acute tuberculosis model by aerosol infection can be used for early evaluating anti-tuberculosis compounds and drug.

Key words: tuberculosis, disease models,animal, autituberculosis agents, aerosols