Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291

Summary

This protocol outlines the cefoperazone mouse model of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) using a clinically-relevant and genetically-tractable strain, R20291. Emphasis on clinical disease monitoring, C. difficile bacterial enumeration, toxin cytotoxicity, and histopathological changes throughout CDI in a mouse model are detailed in the protocol.

Abstract

Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming enteric pathogen that is associated with increasing morbidity and mortality and consequently poses an urgent threat to public health. Recurrence of a C. difficile infection (CDI) after successful treatment with antibiotics is high, occurring in 20-30% of patients, thus necessitating the discovery of novel therapeutics against this pathogen. Current animal models of CDI result in high mortality rates and thus do not approximate the chronic, insidious disease manifestations seen in humans with CDI. To evaluate therapeutics against C. difficile, a mouse model approximating human disease utilizing a clinically-relevant strain is needed. This protocol outlines the cefoperazone mouse model of CDI using a clinically-relevant and genetically-tractable strain, R20291. Techniques for clinical disease monitoring, C. difficile bacterial enumeration, toxin cytotoxicity, and histopathological changes throughout CDI in a mouse model are detailed in the protocol. Compared to other mouse models of CDI, this model is not uniformly lethal at the dose administered, allowing for the observation of a prolonged clinical course of infection concordant with the human disease. Therefore, this cefoperazone mouse model of CDI proves a valuable experimental platform to assess the effects of novel therapeutics on the amelioration of clinical disease and on the restoration of colonization resistance against C. difficile.

Introduction

Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming bacillus that causes life-threatening diarrhea¹. C. difficile infection (CDI) is associated with increased human morbidity and mortality and results in over $ 4.8 billion in healthcare costs per year^1-4. In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorized C. difficile as an urgent antibiotic resistance risk, indicating that it poses an urgent threat to public health¹. Currently, antibiotic treatment with vancomycin and metronidazole are considered the standard of care for CDI⁵. Unfortunately, recurrence of CDI after....

Protocol

Ethical Statement:
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine (NCSU) approved this study. The NCSU Animal Care and Use policy applies standards and guidelines set forth in the Animal Welfare Act and Health Research Extension Act of 1985. Laboratory animal facilities at NCSU adhere to guidelines set forth in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The animals' health statuses were assessed daily, and moribund animals were humanely euthanized by CO₂ asphyxiation followed by secondary measures. Trained animal technicians or a veterinarian performed anima....

Results

During a representative study, 5-week-old C57BL/6 WT mice were pretreated with cefoperazone in their drinking water (0.5 mg/ml) for 5 days and allowed a 2-day wash out with regular drinking water. Mice were challenged with 10⁵ spores of C. difficile R20291 via oral gavage on day 0 (Figure 1A). Mice were monitored for weight loss and clinical signs (lethargy, inappetence, diarrhea, and hunched posture) of CDI for 14 days. The challenge of C57BL/6 WT mic.......

Discussion

This protocol characterizes the clinical course, including weight loss, bacterial colonization, toxin cytotoxicity, and histopathological changes in the gastrointestinal tract, of antibiotic-treated mice challenged with C. difficile R20291 spores. There are several critical steps within the protocol where attention to detail is essential. Accurate calculation of the C. difficile spore inoculum is critical. This calculation is based on the original C. difficile spore stock enumeration, which sho.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
#62 Perisept Sporidicial Disinfectant Cleaner	SSS Navigator	48027	This product will require dilution as recommended by the manufacturer
0.22 μm filter	Fisherbrand	09-720-3	Alternative to filter plate for indivdiual samples tested in the Vero Cell Assay
0.25% Trypsin-EDTA	Gibco	25200-056	Needs to be heated in water bath at 37 °C prior to use
0.4% Trypan Blue	Gibco	15250-061
1% Peniciilin/Streptomycin	Gibco	15070-063
10% heat inactivated FBS	Gibco	16140-071	Needs to be heated in water bath at 37 °C prior to use
1 ml plastic syringe	BD Medical Supplies	309628
1x PBS	Gibco	10010-023
2 ml Micro Centrifuge Screw Cap	Corning	430917
96 well cell culture flat bottom plate	Costar Corning	CL3595
96 well filter plate	Millipore	MSGVS2210
Adhesive Seal	ThermoScientific	AB-0558
Bacto Agar	Becton Dickinson	214010	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
Bacto Proteose Peptone	Becton Dickinson	211684	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
Cefoperazone	MP Bioworks	199695
Cefoxitine	Sigma	C47856	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
Clostridium difficile Antitoxin Kit	Tech Labs	T5000	Used as control for Vero Cell Assay
Clostridium difficile Toxin A	List Biological Labs	152C	Positive control for Vero Cell Assay
D-cycloserine	Sigma	C6880	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
Distilled Water	Gibco	15230
DMEM 1x Media	Gibco	11965-092	Needs to be heated in water bath at 37 °C prior to use
Fructose	Fisher	L95500	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
Hemocytometer	Bright-Line, Sigma	Z359629
KH2PO4	Fisher	P285-500	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
MgSO4 (anhydrous)	Sigma	M2643	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
Millex-GS 0.22 μm filter	Millex-GS	SLGS033SS	Filter for TCCFA plates
Na2HPO4	Sigma	S-0876	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
NaCl	Fisher	S640-3	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
Number 10 disposable scalpel blade	Miltex, Inc	4-410
PCR Plates	Fisherbrand	14230244
Plastic petri dish	Kord-Valmark Brand	2900
Sterile plastic L-shaped cell spreader	Fisherbrand	14-665-230
Syringe Stepper	Dymax Corporation	T15469
Taurocholate	Sigma	T4009	Part of TCCFA plates (see below)
Ultrapure distilled water	Invitrogen	10977-015
C57BL/6J Mice	The Jackson Laboratory	664	Mice should be 5 - 8 weeks of age
Olympus BX43F light microscope	Olympus Life Science
DP27 camera	Olympus Life Science
cellSens Dimension software	Olympus Life Science