Transurethral Induction of Mouse Urinary Tract Infection
Summary
This video will demonstrate methods to transurethrally induce mouse urinary tract infections and quantify the extent of resulting infections.
Abstract
Uropathogenic bacterial strains of interest are grown on agar. Generally, uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and other strains can be grown overnight on Luria-Bertani (LB) agar at 37°C in ambient air. UPEC strains grow as yellowish-white translucent colonies on LB agar. Following confirmation of appropriate colony morphology, single colonies are then picked to be cultured in broth. LB broth can be used for most uropathogenic bacterial strains. Two serial, overnight LB broth cultures can be employed to enhance expression of type I pili, a well-defined virulence factor for uropathogenic bacteria. Broth cultures are diluted to the desired concentration in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Eight to 12 week old female mice are placed under isoflurane anesthesia and transurethrally inoculated with bacteria using polyethylene tubing-covered 30 gauge syringes. Typical inocula, which must be empirically determined for each bacterial/mouse strain combination, are 106 to 108 cfu per mouse in 10 to 50 microliters of PBS. After the desired infection period (one day to several weeks), urine samples and the bladder and both kidneys are harvested. Each organ is minced, placed in PBS, and homogenized in a Blue Bullet homogenizer. Urine and tissue homogenates are serially diluted in PBS and cultured on appropriate agar. The following day, colony forming units are counted.
Protocol
I. Preparation of Urethral Catheters For each mouse bladder and kidney to be sampled, place 5-6 stainless steel beads (bladder, 1.6 mm size or 0.9-2.0 mm blend) or zirconium oxide beads (kidney, 0.5 mm size) in one cryovial tube, respectively. Autoclave the bead-containing tubes. After the tubes cool to ambient temperature, add 200 microliters of sterile PBS to each stainless steel bead-containing tube and 400 microliters of sterile PBS to each zirconium oxide bead-containing tube. We…
Discussion
Induction of mouse urinary tract infection by transurethral inoculation of bacteria is a long-established but technically demanding procedure11. Hung and Hultgren recently published an excellent review of transurethral techniques of mouse urinary tract infection13. In this paper, we attempt to further illustrate the finer points of this experimental approach.
Novices may practice their technique by performing a midline laparotomy to expose the bladder, injecting a dilu…
Divulgations
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Shelly Xie and Jennifer Payne for their expert technical assistance. This work was made possible through grants from the Society of Pediatric Urology and the Stanford Pediatric Research Fund.
Materials
| Material Name | Type | Company | Catalogue Number | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cryovial tubes, 2.0 ml polypropylene (no caps) | E&K Scientific | 640201 | ||
| Caps for cryovial tubes, with ‘O’ ring | E&K Scientific | 440011-N | ||
| Bullet Blender | Next Advance | BBX24 | ||
| Zirconium Oxide Beads (0.5mm) | Next Advance | ZROB05 | ||
| Stainless Steel Beads (1.6mm) | Next Advance | SSB16 | ||
| Stainless Steel Bead Blend (0.9-2.0mm) | Next Advance | SSB14B | ||
| CBA/J Mice, 8-12 week old female | Jackson Laboratories | 000656 | ||
| Phosphate Buffered Saline (NaCl 137mM, KCl 2.7mM, Na2HPO4 4.3mM, KH2PO4 1.4mM) | EMD | EM-SX0420-13 (NaCl) EM-PX1405-1 (KCl) EM1.06585.0 (Na2HPO4) EM-5108-1 (KH2PO4) | ||
| LB agar | ||||
| LB broth | EMD | 1.10285.0500 | ||
| Isoflurane (Aerrane) | Baxter | NDC 10019-773-60 | ||
| Inoculating loops | Fisher Scientific | 22-363-601 | ||
| Eosin-methylene blue (EMB) agar powder | Himedia Laboratories | MM022-500G | ||
| MacConkey agar powder | Difco | 212123 | ||
| LB agar powder | Difco | 244520 | ||
| Intramedic non-radiopaque polyethylene tubing, PE10 [inner dimension 0.28 mm (0.011 inch); outer dimension 0.61 mm (0.024 inch)] | BD Biosciences | 427401 | ||
| 30 gauge needles, 1/2 inch | BD Biosciences | 305106 | ||
| 1 ml tuberculin Slip-Tip syringe | BD Biosciences | 309602 | ||
| 3 ml Luer-Lock syringe | BD Biosciences | 309585 |
References
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Tags
Transurethral InductionMouse Urinary Tract InfectionUropathogenic Bacterial StrainsAgarUropathogenic E. ColiLuria-Bertani AgarColony MorphologyCulture In BrothLB BrothType I PiliVirulence FactorPhosphate Buffered SalineFemale MiceIsoflurane AnesthesiaTransurethral InoculationPolyethylene Tubing-covered SyringesInocula ConcentrationCfu Per MouseUrine SamplesBladderKidneysHarvesting OrgansMinced OrgansHomogenizationBlue Bullet HomogenizerSerial DilutionColony Forming Units
Citer Cet Article
Thai, K. H., Thathireddy, A., Hsieh, M. H. Transurethral Induction of Mouse Urinary Tract Infection. J. Vis. Exp. (42), e2070, doi:10.3791/2070 (2010).