Experimental model for Porphyromonas gingivalis infection in animals

A virulence model suitable for studying the dynamics of Porphyromonas gingivalis infection, including the pathogenicity of P. gingivalis in experimentally induced infections of multiple organs was developed using mouse and hamster. Virulence of P. gingivalis strains was expressed contrastingly in subcutaneous (sc) infection in the Murine abscess model (MAM) and the Hamsters abscess model (HAM). Subcutaneous infection in the MAM was characterized by a gravity abscess, spreading from the primary site of inoculation downwards, frequently erupting as a secondary lesion. In contract, s.c. P. gingivalis infection in HAM was characterized as a palpable localized abscess at the primary site of inoculation. When the Semi-Solid Agar (SSA) was added to the mono-culture of P. gingivalis, reproducibility of infection in both models was enhanced. P. gingivalis culture supplemented with haemin, or combined with oral Actinomyces viscosus had its virulence overtly enhanced and often fatal in the MAM. Menadione, Eh reducing agents and mixture with the Streptococcus or A. neaslundii did not potentiate virulence in either mode. Transtracheal challenge of the lungs of hamster with P. gingivalis initiated an early pneumonitis and later sequelae of necrosis and abscess formation. Also, abscess was induced by direct inoculation of P. gingivalis in the muscles, liver and testes, but did not induce intra-abdominal abscesses. In conclusion, the HAM applied with the SSA procedure caused a localized P. gingivalis tissue infection with practical advantages for quantitative and qualitative studies of P. gingivalis infections. This study also demonstrates the pathogenic potential of P. gingivalis by reproducing similar infections in multiple anatomical sites.