title: Studying host-pathogen interaction events in living mice visualized in real time using biophotonic imaging.
abstract: Despite progress in mouse models of bacterial pathogens, studies are often limited by evaluating infections in an individual organ or tissue or at a given time. Here we present a technique to engineer the pathogen, e.g., Brucella melitensis, with a bioluminescent marker permitting analysis of living bacteria in real time during the infectious process from acute to chronic infection. Using this bioluminescent approach, tissue preference, differences between virulent and mutant bacteria, as well as the response of the bacteria to host metabolites can provide extraordinary data enhancing our understanding of host-pathogen interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Office 203, 2015 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA, Splitter@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Splitter
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harms
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Diogo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Durward
authors.forename: Gireesh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rajashekara
authors.forename: Girish
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Radhakrishnan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000502:physiology*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000473:pathology; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D051379:Mice