J Neuroinflammation
September 2018
Background: Listeria monocytogenes is a common cause of bacterial meningitis. We developed an animal model of listerial meningitis.
Methods: In survival studies, C57BL/6 mice received intracisternal injections with different L.
Pneumococcal meningitis is the most common and severe form of bacterial meningitis. Fatality rates are substantial, and long-term sequelae develop in about half of survivors. Here, we have performed a prospective nationwide genetic association study using the Human Exome BeadChip and identified gene variants in encoding dynactin 4 (DCTN4), retinoic acid early transcript 1E (RAET1E), and V-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 3 (AKT3) to be associated with unfavourable outcome in patients with pneumococcal meningitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfection is a major cause of failure of inserted or implanted biomedical devices (biomaterials). During surgery, bacteria may adhere to the implant, initiating biofilm formation. Bacteria are also observed in and recultured from the tissue surrounding implants, and may even reside inside host cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomaterials are increasingly used for the restoration of human function, but can become infected as a result of peri- or early post-operative bacterial contamination, although biomaterial-associated infections (BAIs) can also initiate at any time from hematogenous spreading of bacteria from an infection elsewhere in the body. Infecting bacteria in BAIs not only seek shelter in their own protective biofilm matrix, but also hide in surrounding tissue. This study compares staphylococcal persistence on and around a degradable and non-degradable surgical mesh through the use of longitudinal bioluminescence imaging in a murine model, including histological evaluation of surrounding tissue after sacrifice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMice have been extensively employed as an animal model of renal damage caused by Shiga toxins. In this study, we examined the role of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in the development of toxin-mediated renal disease in mice. Mice pretreated with TNF-alpha and challenged with Shiga toxin type 1 (Stx1) showed increased survival compared to that of mice treated with Stx1 alone.
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