title: Assessing Pseudomonas virulence using mammalian models: acute infection model.
abstract: The acute murine lung infection model monitors Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway infections by multiple continuous and endpoint parameters. After intratracheal or intranasal infection it characterizes the course of infection via head-out spirometry, rectal temperature, weight loss, a body condition score based on nine physiological parameters, lung bacterial numbers, organ dissemination of bacteria, and a semiquantitative assessment of lung inflammation and further analysis. The generated data allows a robust classification of virulence of mutant or wild-type P. aeruginosa strains and/or of the susceptibility of wild-type or engineered mouse strains to infection. If standardized, the model is applicable to the preclinical assessment of antipseudomonal prevention and intervention strategies.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Group, Clinic for Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany, munder.antje@mh-hannover.de.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Munder
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tümmler
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000758:Anesthesia; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods*; D001831:Body Temperature; D001835:Body Weight; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004210:Dissection; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008322:Mammals / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D010991:Plethysmography; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013147:Spirometry; D014774:Virulence