A Novel Mouse Model of Staphylococcus aureus Vascular Graft Infection: Noninvasive Imaging of Biofilm Development in Vivo.

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus causes very serious infections of vascular grafts. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of this disease is largely lacking because of the absence of representable models. Therefore, the aim of this study was to set up a mouse model of vascular graft infections that closely mimics the human situation. A catheter was inserted into the right carotid artery of mice, which acted as a vascular graft. Mice were infected i.v. using 8 different S. aureus strains, and development of the infection was followed up. Although all strains had varying abilities to form biofilm in vitro and different levels of virulence in mice, they all caused biofilm formation on the grafts. This graft infection was monitored using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 18F-fluordeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). MRI allowed the quantification of blood flow through the arteries, which was decreased in the catheter after infection. FDG-PET revealed high inflammation levels at the site of the catheter after infection. This model closely resembles the situation in patients, which is characterized by a tight interplay between pathogen and host, and can therefore be used for the testing of novel treatment, diagnosis, and prevention strategies. In addition, combining MRI and PET with microscopic techniques provides an appropriate way to characterize the course of these infections and to precisely analyze biofilm development.

• Authors: Hélène Van de Vyver, Philipp R Bovenkamp, Verena Hoerr, Katrin Schwegmann, Lorena Tuchscherr, Silke Niemann, Laura Kursawe, Christina Grosse, Annette Moter, Uwe Hansen, Ute Neugebauer, Michael T Kuhlmann, Georg Peters, Sven Hermann, Bettina Löffler
• Journal: The American journal of pathology (Am J Pathol) Vol. 187 Issue 2 Pg. 268-279 (Feb 2017) ISSN: 1525-2191 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 28088288 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2017 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Animals
• Biofilms (growth & development)
• Blood Vessel Prosthesis (microbiology)
• Catheter-Related Infections (diagnostic imaging)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Mice
• Microscopy, Confocal
• Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
• Positron-Emission Tomography
• Staphylococcal Infections (diagnostic imaging)
• Staphylococcus aureus