Biopharma Insights Here, a procedure is described for the establishment of systemic infection in the neonatal rat with cultures of Escherichia coli K1. This non-invasive procedure permits colonization of the gastrointestinal tract, translocation of the pathogen to the systemic circulation, and invasion of the central nervous system at the choroid plexus.
Total time
~3-5 days (infection establishment + disease progression monitoring)
Model organism
Rat, neonatal (P1-P5)
Steps
1
Orally inoculate neonatal rats with E. coli K1
Administer prepared E. coli K1 culture via oral gavage to establish gastrointestinal colonization in neonatal rats. Monitor animals for clinical signs of infection.
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2
Assess disease severity and clinical parameters
Evaluate neonatal rats for systemic infection signs including lethargy, feeding behavior, and neurological symptoms indicative of CNS invasion.
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3
Collect gastrointestinal tract tissue samples
Isolate the entire gastrointestinal tract from infected animals for bacterial enumeration and analysis of pathogen colonization patterns.
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4
Homogenize and process tissue samples
Mechanically disrupt collected GI tissue and prepare samples for bacterial culture or molecular analysis of E. coli K1 load.
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