In vivo bioluminescence imaging of the murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium

Citrobacter rodentium is a natural mouse pathogen related to enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. We have previously utilized bioluminescence imaging (BLI) to determine the in vivo colonization dynamics of C. rodentium. However, due to the oxygen requirement of the bioluminescence system and the colonic localization of C. rodentium, in vivo localization studies were performed using harvested organs. Here, we report the detection of bioluminescent C. rodentium and commensal E. coli during colonization of the gastrointestinal tract in intact living animals. Bioluminescence was dependent on intact blood circulation, suggesting that the colonic environment is not anaerobic but nanaerobic. In addition, BLI revealed that C. rodentium colonizes the rectum, a site previously unreported for this pathogen.