Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection in a Mouse Model

Take a needle and thread it with a piece of polyethylene tubing.

Slide on a piece of silicone tubing, with its soft tip extending beyond the needle’s length.

Attach the needle-tubing assembly to a syringe to complete the catheter.

Place an anesthetized female mouse in a supine position.

Press the abdomen to empty the bladder.

Disinfect the periurethral area with ethanol, followed by povidone-iodine.

Lubricate the catheter tip and insert it transurethrally into the bladder.

Push the polyethylene tubing slightly forward, then withdraw the needle, leaving the silicone catheter inside the bladder.

The implanted catheter causes mechanical irritation and triggers inflammation.

This causes fibrinogen release, which coats the catheter surface.

Inject uropathogenic bacteria into the bladder.

In the bladder, bacterial adhesins bind to the fibrinogen and initiate biofilm formation, resulting in a urinary tract infection (UTI).

This model shows a catheter-associated UTI.

To carry out the CAUTI protocol, begin by cutting a 7-millimeter piece of PE10 tubing and a 5-millimeter piece of silicone tubing, such as RenaSIL. Remove the cap of a 30-gauge needle and use the PE10 tubing to thread the needle up to the