The method of delivering bacteria-coated agar beads to the lungs via intratracheal instillation was successfully used to establish persistent pulmonary infection models in aged mice. (IMAGE)
Caption
P. aeruginosa was embedded into agar beads and delivered to the lungs of aged mice. Following infection, mice were monitored daily for clinical symptoms and survival. At predetermined time points, mice were euthanized, and lungs were aseptically collected for bacterial quantification and histopathological analysis. Lung tissues were homogenized in sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), serially diluted, and plated on Luria-Bertani Agar (LBA) for colony-forming unit (CFU) enumeration. In parallel, representative lung lobes were fixed, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) to assess tissue damage and inflammatory infiltration. This model offers a reliable platform for studying chronic P. aeruginosa lung infection in aged hosts, mimicking features relevant to age-related susceptibility and persistent infection.
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Aging Research, Tsinghua University Press
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