Medina Eva
Infection Immunology Research Group, Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Methods Mol Biol. 2010;602:395-403. doi: 10.1007/978-1-60761-058-8_21.
Despite the medical advances achieved during the last century to fight against bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, infectious diseases are still a major cause of death, disability, and social and economic upheaval for millions around the world. Challenges remain in countering microorganisms even where antibiotics and vaccines are available. Much remains to be learned about basic aspects of the host-pathogen relationship and the complexity of the immune response to infection. Animal models represent a powerful tool to dissect the host response to infection, as well as the pathogenesis of the microbe. One of the advantages of using animal models is that both genetic and environmental factors that may influence the course of an infection can be controlled, allowing a precise cause-effect analysis of the host-pathogen interactions. In addition, there are no real alternatives to whole animal models in the study of integrative physiology and dynamic pathophysiologic alterations. The use of animal models has also proven invaluable for testing the efficacy of experimental antimicrobial agents and their therapeutic regimes. The mouse model is the most widely used for many reasons, including its cost effectiveness, the high number of immunological reagents available for this species, and the relative ease of biocontainment. Mouse strains with specific properties such as transgenic mouse strains with gene insertion or targeted mutation (knock-out) are very effective tools for studying the role of specific genes controlling the immune response to infectious pathogens. Murine models will remain the most appropriate tool for evaluating new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of various diseases. The closer the model is adapted to the human disease, the more reliable will be the results.In this chapter, the experimental procedures required to establish a mouse model of cutaneous and soft tissue infection are detailed. This model has provided invaluable insights into the pathogenicity of the agent for the human host.
尽管在上个世纪对抗细菌、病毒、真菌和寄生虫方面取得了医学进展，但传染病仍然是全球数百万人死亡、残疾以及社会和经济动荡的主要原因。即使在有抗生素和疫苗的情况下，对抗微生物仍存在挑战。关于宿主 - 病原体关系的基本方面以及感染免疫反应的复杂性，仍有许多有待了解。动物模型是剖析宿主对感染的反应以及微生物发病机制的有力工具。使用动物模型的优点之一是可以控制可能影响感染进程的遗传和环境因素，从而对宿主 - 病原体相互作用进行精确的因果分析。此外，在综合生理学和动态病理生理改变的研究中，没有真正能替代整体动物模型的方法。动物模型在测试实验性抗菌剂及其治疗方案的疗效方面也已证明具有不可估量的价值。由于成本效益高、有大量可用于该物种的免疫试剂以及相对易于生物防护等多种原因，小鼠模型是使用最广泛的。具有特定特性的小鼠品系，如基因插入或靶向突变（敲除）的转基因小鼠品系，是研究控制对传染性病原体免疫反应的特定基因作用的非常有效的工具。小鼠模型仍将是评估各种疾病新治疗策略的最合适工具。模型与人类疾病越相似，结果就越可靠。在本章中，详细介绍了建立皮肤和软组织感染小鼠模型所需的实验程序。该模型为了解病原体对人类宿主的致病性提供了宝贵的见解。
