Intrarenal Injection of Escherichia coli in a Rat Model of Pyelonephritis

Pyelonephritis is a bacterial infection of the kidney and is most commonly caused by Escherichia coli. Recurrent infections can cause significant renal inflammation and fibrosis ultimately resulting in declining kidney function. Before improved clinical management and prevention of pyelonephritis can be instituted, a reliable animal model must be established in order to study the mechanisms of progression, recurrence, and therapeutic efficacy. The transurethral infection model closely mimics human pyelonephritis but exhibits considerable variation due to its reliance on urethral reflux to transport the bacteria to the kidney. Herein, a detailed surgical protocol for performing bacterial injections into the rat renal pelvis is provided and confirmed by non-invasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Using this protocol, animals receive direct exposure to a desired concentration of E. coli bacteria and can fully recover from the surgical procedure with adequate post-operative care. This facilitates subsequent longitudinal MRI assessments of the experimental animal models for comparison with saline (sham) controls. Using this direct delivery approach, the severity of infection is controllable and applicable for mechanistic studies of progression as well as development of novel treatment strategies.