title: A new experimental model of acute osteomyelitis due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in rabbit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the impact of antibiotic therapy on severe osseous infections, animal models of chronic bacterial infections have been developed; however, these models suffer from many experimental limitations. The aim of this work was to develop a new model system in which high levels of bacteria are obtained within femoral bone marrow and bone tissue, and such infections are maintained for at least 14 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Experimental osteomyelitis was induced in 25 New Zealand white rabbits. A 10(9) CFU ml(-1) suspension of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was injected into the knee after bone trepanation. On day 3, surgical debridement was performed to mimic a surgical procedure. Animals were euthanized 1, 2, 3, 9 and 14 days post-inoculation to determine the bacterial counts in marrow and bone, and to evaluate the stability of the infection. Inoculated lesions also were assessed for changes in histological parameters on days 3 and 7 post-inoculation. At days 1, 2, 3, 9 and 14 post-inoculation, we observed 6·50 ± 0·64, 7·30 ± 0·49, 7·82 ± 0·19, 8·00 ± 1·48 and 8·99 ± 0·20 log10 CFU g(-1) in bone marrow and 8·40 ± 0·68, 7·65 ± 0·27, 7·58 ± 0·30, 8·88 ± 0·52 and 8·28 ± 0·39 log10 CFU g(-1) in bone tissue, respectively. No statistical differences in bacterial count were found between bone marrow and bone tissue at any time point.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This new model of acute osteomyelitis was validated by histological and microbiological changes in the absence of sclerosing agents, and these changes remained stable for 14 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results describe a new experimental model of acute osteomyelitis and demonstrate its usefulness in assessing the activity of antibacterial agents in vivo soon after bone infection.
authors.affiliation: Université de Nantes, EA 3826 UFR Medecine, Nantes, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gaudin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amador Del Valle
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamel
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Le Mabecque
authors.forename: A-F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Miegeville
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Potel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caillon
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jacqueline
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D003646:Debridement; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011817:Rabbits; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents