Ex vivo infection of murine precision-cut lung tissue slices with Mycobacterium abscessus: a model to study antimycobacterial agents.

Background: Multidrug-resistant infections due to Mycobacterium abscessus often require complex and prolonged regimens for treatment. Here, we report the evaluation of a new ex vivo antimicrobial susceptibility testing model using organotypic cultures of murine precision-cut lung slices, an experimental model in which metabolic activity, and all the usual cell types of the organ are found while the tissue architecture and the interactions between the different cells are maintained.

Methods: Precision cut lung slices (PCLS) were prepared from the lungs of wild type BALB/c mice using the Krumdieck tissue slicer.