title: Oto-endoscopy: a reliable and validated technique for phenotyping otitis media in the mouse.
abstract: The mouse is a widely used model for investigating the pathophysiological and genetic bases of otitis media (OM). It has proven a valuable tool for investigating the multifactorial bases of OM including the role of pathogens, anatomical factors, inflammatory mediators and susceptibility loci. However, straightforward and robust phenotyping tools for identifying murine otitis media are lacking, which has precluded for example the identification of mice with OM in genetic screens without resorting to time-consuming histopathology. We have set out to develop a phenotyping platform for the detection of OM in mice utilizing oto-endoscopy. We have applied the technique to a cohort of mice genetically susceptible to chronic otitis media. We show that oto-endoscopy is a safe, reliable and valid method for detecting otitis media in the mouse and discuss its utility in screens to identify novel genes involved with susceptibility to OM.
authors.affiliation: MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK. m.bhutta@har.mrc.ac.uk
authors.forename: Mahmood F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bhutta
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Hedge
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Cheeseman
authors.forename: Stephen D M
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003939:Diagnostic Techniques, Otological / Q000295:instrumentation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000473:pathology*; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation; D004867:Equipment Design; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D009154:Mutation; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D010641:Phenotype; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D051899:Smad2 Protein / Q000235:genetics; D051900:Smad3 Protein / Q000235:genetics; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C481381:JF protein, mouse; D011506:Proteins; D051899:Smad2 Protein; C497783:Smad2 protein, mouse; D051900:Smad3 Protein; C497791:Smad3 protein, mouse; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53