Bread Feeding Is a Robust and More Physiological Enteropathogen Administration Method Compared to Oral Gavage

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Animal Models

Background:

• Oral administration is key for studying bacterial enteropathogens like Yersinia.
• Needle gavage is the common oral infection method in mouse models.
• Needle gavage can cause trauma and lead to unintended bacterial spread.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare needle gavage with bread feeding for oral Yersinia infection in mice.
• To evaluate the efficiency and impact of different bacterial administration methods.
• To determine a more natural and less invasive infection model.

Main Methods:

• Used bioluminescence-expressing Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia enterocolitica strains.
• Administered bacteria via traditional needle gavage and novel bread feeding.
• Monitored bacterial colonization and spread using bioluminescence imaging.

Main Results:

• Needle gavage resulted in bacterial signals in both neck and abdominal areas, indicating dual colonization sites and potential spread to lymph nodes.
• Bread feeding led to stronger abdominal signals and no neck signals, suggesting more targeted intestinal infection.
• Yersinia incorporated in bread showed increased resistance to stomach acid, enhancing intestinal infection efficiency.

Conclusions:

• Bread feeding is a more natural, efficient, and less traumatic method for oral Yersinia infection in mice.
• This method better replicates foodborne intestinal infections compared to needle gavage.
• Bread feeding offers a superior alternative for studying bacterial enteropathogen infections.