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Experimental urinary tract infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice
Abstract:
Urinary tract infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa was induced in mice by transurethral inoculation of the organism into the bladder, followed by urethral obstruction for 6 h. The infection was mostly localized in the urinary organs. P. aeruginosa P9 was selected as the challenge organism from 10 laboratory strains of P. aeruginosa. After the inoculation of 10(7) colony-forming units of P. aeruginosa P9, transient bacteremia was observed in some of the mice from 6 h to 1 day after the inoculation. The number of organisms in the bladder tissue gradually decreased, whereas that in the kidneys increased to levels of 10(6) to 10(7) colony-forming units in 3 days, and these levels remained up to 2 weeks after the inoculation. The organisms gradually disappeared thereafter, and spontaneous recovery took place. The organisms could be recovered from the kidneys of 95% of the mice, and the gross lesions in the kidneys were observed in 77% of the mice 1 week after inoculation. The method developed here is simple and may be useful in the study of urinary tract infections due to P. aeruginosa and other species of bacteria.20
Insights
This study developed a mouse model for Pseudomonas aeruginosa urinary tract infections. The model shows infection localized to kidneys, with spontaneous recovery, aiding future research.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Animal Models
Background:
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs).
- Developing reliable animal models is crucial for studying bacterial pathogenesis and testing therapeutics.
- Existing models may not fully recapitulate the dynamics of P. aeruginosa UTIs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a simple and reproducible mouse model for studying P. aeruginosa UTIs.
- To characterize the infection dynamics, including bacterial load, organ localization, and host response.
- To validate the model's utility for future research on P. aeruginosa pathogenesis and treatment.
Main Methods:
- Induction of UTI in mice via transurethral inoculation of P. aeruginosa P9 into the bladder.
- Temporary urethral obstruction for 6 hours to facilitate infection establishment.
- Monitoring bacterial counts in bladder and kidneys over time (up to 2 weeks).
- Assessment of gross kidney lesions and organism recovery.
Main Results:
- Infection predominantly localized to the urinary organs, particularly the kidneys.
- Kidney bacterial loads increased significantly within 3 days post-inoculation, persisting for up to 2 weeks.
- Transient bacteremia was observed in some mice shortly after inoculation.
- High recovery rates of P. aeruginosa from kidneys (95%) and significant kidney lesions (77%) were noted at 1 week.
- Spontaneous clearance of bacteria and recovery occurred after the peak infection period.
Conclusions:
- The developed transurethral inoculation and urethral obstruction method provides a robust model for P. aeruginosa UTIs in mice.
- This model effectively mimics key aspects of P. aeruginosa kidney infections, including bacterial persistence and host pathology.
- The model's simplicity and reproducibility make it valuable for investigating P. aeruginosa pathogenesis and evaluating novel antimicrobial strategies.