Modeling Ascending Vaginal Infection, Preterm Birth, and Neonatal Morbidity in Mice

Preterm birth continues to be a primary cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity globally, with limited preventative therapies. There is an imperative need for clinically relevant and reproducible animal models for the translation of innovative interventions to become a reality. Various mouse models of preterm birth exist. However, they do not recapitulate human neonatal morbidities, including neuropathological changes and lung injury, which are characteristic sequelae of ascending infection and preterm birth. We have characterized a model which, to our knowledge, is the only one that mimics the human scenario whereby these neonatal morbidities are present following the induction of preterm birth by a live bacterium that ascends from the vagina. This paper demonstrates the intravaginal administration of a bioluminescent strain of Escherichia coli and details the assessment of neuropathological outcomes and lung injury using immunohistochemistry and histology techniques.