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Updated: May 1, 2026
Long Term Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Airway Infection in Mice
Published on: March 17, 2014
Long term chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway infection in mice
Marcella Facchini1, Ida De Fino1, Camilla Riva1
1Infections and Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, San Raffaele Scientific Institute; Italian Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation.
Abstract:
A mouse model of chronic airway infection is a key asset in cystic fibrosis (CF) research, although there are a number of concerns regarding the model itself. Early phases of inflammation and infection have been widely studied by using the Pseudomonas aeruginosa agar-beads mouse model, while only few reports have focused on the long-term chronic infection in vivo. The main challenge for long term chronic infection remains the low bacterial burden by P. aeruginosa and the low percentage of infected mice weeks after challenge, indicating that bacterial cells are progressively cleared by the host. This paper presents a method for obtaining efficient long-term chronic infection in mice. This method is based on the embedding of the P. aeruginosa clinical strains in the agar-beads in vitro, followed by intratracheal instillation in C57Bl/6NCrl mice. Bilateral lung infection is associated with several measurable read-outs including weight loss, mortality, chronic infection, and inflammatory response. The P. aeruginosa RP73 clinical strain was preferred over the PAO1 reference laboratory strain since it resulted in a comparatively lower mortality, more severe lesions, and higher chronic infection. P. aeruginosa colonization may persist in the lung for over three months. Murine lung pathology resembles that of CF patients with advanced chronic pulmonary disease. This murine model most closely mimics the course of the human disease and can be used both for studies on the pathogenesis and for the evaluation of novel therapies.
Insights
This study introduces an improved mouse model for chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection, crucial for cystic fibrosis research. The method ensures persistent infection, closely mimicking human disease for better therapeutic evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Animal Models
Background:
- Cystic fibrosis (CF) research relies on mouse models for chronic airway infection.
- Existing models struggle with low bacterial burden and short-term infection duration.
- Long-term in vivo studies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in mice are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an efficient method for achieving long-term chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in mice.
- To establish a murine model that accurately reflects human cystic fibrosis lung disease progression.
- To enable robust studies on pathogenesis and therapeutic interventions for chronic lung infections.
Main Methods:
- Embedding Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical strains in agar-beads in vitro.
- Intratracheal instillation of agar-beads into C57Bl/6NCrl mice.
- Utilizing the P. aeruginosa RP73 clinical strain for enhanced infection persistence and severity.
Main Results:
- Achieved efficient and sustained long-term chronic lung infection in mice, persisting over three months.
- Observed significant weight loss, mortality, and inflammatory responses.
- The P. aeruginosa RP73 strain demonstrated superior performance over the PAO1 strain, yielding more severe lesions and higher chronic infection rates.
- Murine lung pathology closely resembled advanced chronic pulmonary disease in human CF patients.
Conclusions:
- The developed method provides a robust mouse model for long-term chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection.
- This model closely mimics human cystic fibrosis lung disease, offering a valuable tool for pathogenesis research.
- The model is suitable for evaluating novel therapeutic strategies against chronic P. aeruginosa infections in CF.
