Murine Models of Salmonella Infection

Abstract

AbstractThe pathogen Salmonella enterica encompasses a range of bacterial serovars that cause intestinal inflammation and systemic infections in humans. Mice are a widely used infection model due to their relative simplicity and versatility. Here, we provide standardized protocols for culturing the prolific zoonotic pathogen S. enterica serovar Typhimurium for intragastric inoculation of mice to model colitis or systemic dissemination, along with techniques for direct extraintestinal infection. Furthermore, we present procedures for quantifying pathogen burden and for characterizing the immune response by analyzing tissue pathology, inflammatory markers, and immune cells from intestinal tissues. © 2023 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.Basic Protocol 1: Murine colitis model utilizing oral streptomycin pretreatment and oral S. Typhimurium administrationBasic Protocol 2: Intraperitoneal injection of S. Typhimurium for modeling extraintestinal infectionSupport Protocol 1: Preparation of S. Typhimurium inoculumSupport Protocol 2: Preparation of mixed S. Typhimurium inoculum for competitive infectionBasic Protocol 3: Assessment of S. Typhimurium burdenSupport Protocol 3: Preservation and pathological assessment of S. Typhimurium–infected tissuesSupport Protocol 4: Measurement of inflammatory marker expression in intestinal tissues by qPCRSupport Protocol 5: Preparation of intestinal content for inflammatory marker quantification by ELISASupport Protocol 6: Immune cell isolation from Salmonella‐infected intestinal tissues