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Published on: March 14, 2019
A new experimental model of acute osteomyelitis due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in rabbit
A Gaudin1, G Amador Del Valle, A Hamel
1Université de Nantes, EA 3826 UFR Medecine, Nantes, France.
Aims:
To assess the impact of antibiotic therapy on severe osseous infections, animal models of chronic bacterial infections have been developed; however, these models suffer from many experimental limitations. The aim of this work was to develop a new model system in which high levels of bacteria are obtained within femoral bone marrow and bone tissue, and such infections are maintained for at least 14 days.
Methods And Results:
Experimental osteomyelitis was induced in 25 New Zealand white rabbits. A 10(9) CFU ml(-1) suspension of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was injected into the knee after bone trepanation. On day 3, surgical debridement was performed to mimic a surgical procedure. Animals were euthanized 1, 2, 3, 9 and 14 days post-inoculation to determine the bacterial counts in marrow and bone, and to evaluate the stability of the infection. Inoculated lesions also were assessed for changes in histological parameters on days 3 and 7 post-inoculation. At days 1, 2, 3, 9 and 14 post-inoculation, we observed 6·50 ± 0·64, 7·30 ± 0·49, 7·82 ± 0·19, 8·00 ± 1·48 and 8·99 ± 0·20 log10 CFU g(-1) in bone marrow and 8·40 ± 0·68, 7·65 ± 0·27, 7·58 ± 0·30, 8·88 ± 0·52 and 8·28 ± 0·39 log10 CFU g(-1) in bone tissue, respectively. No statistical differences in bacterial count were found between bone marrow and bone tissue at any time point.
Conclusion:
This new model of acute osteomyelitis was validated by histological and microbiological changes in the absence of sclerosing agents, and these changes remained stable for 14 days.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
These results describe a new experimental model of acute osteomyelitis and demonstrate its usefulness in assessing the activity of antibacterial agents in vivo soon after bone infection.
Insights
This study developed a novel rabbit model for acute osteomyelitis, achieving stable, high bacterial loads in bone marrow and tissue for 14 days. This model is crucial for evaluating new antibiotic therapies against bone infections.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Animal Models
Background:
- Existing animal models for osteomyelitis have experimental limitations.
- A need exists for a reliable model to study antibiotic efficacy in bone infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a new experimental model for acute osteomyelitis in rabbits.
- To achieve and maintain high bacterial loads in bone marrow and tissue for at least 14 days.
Main Methods:
- Induction of osteomyelitis in New Zealand white rabbits using methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
- Surgical debridement on day 3 to simulate clinical procedures.
- Microbiological and histological assessments at multiple time points post-inoculation.
Main Results:
- Sustained high bacterial counts (log10 CFU g(-1)) in bone marrow and bone tissue up to 14 days post-inoculation.
- No significant difference in bacterial load between bone marrow and bone tissue.
- Histological changes confirmed the development of osteomyelitis.
Conclusions:
- The developed model of acute osteomyelitis is validated by microbiological and histological data.
- The model demonstrates stability for 14 days, making it suitable for in vivo assessment of antibacterial agents.
