Ischaemic mouse thigh model for evaluation of pathogenicity of non-clostridial anaerobes

A mouse thigh model has been devised in which the growing culture of non-clostridial anaerobe in the ischaemic tissue produces inflammatory swelling and death. The swelling of the right thigh served as an index of pathogenicity of the test strain in comparison to the negatively reacting left thigh which received injection of the control strain of Bifidobacterium infantis. Actinomyces naeslundii exceptionally caused death in all animals within 24 h. Mortality and thigh swelling were pronounced (greater than 75%) in case of Fusobacterium gonidiaformans and Propionibacterium acnes but less (less than 50%) in Acidaminococcus fermentans. High (less than 75%) rate of thigh swelling was also encountered in case of Bacteroides oralis, Bacteroides corrodens, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Fusobacterium prausnitzii, Fusobacterium plauti, Peptococcus prevotii, Streptococcus intermedius, Eubacterium lentum and Propionibacterium freudenreichii ss. shermanii.