An Experimental Infective Endocarditis Model in Rats

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Infective endocarditis (IE) is defined as infection of the endocardial surface of the heart. Updates are needed in the diagnosis and treatment of IE, as well as in animal models of IE. Based on this need, a new model of infective endocarditis induced by S. aureus was described in our study. METHODS: This study was performed on 7 Wistar albino male rats, each aged six months and weighing 250-300 g. Underwent the surgical implantation of a 20 G catheter, to gain access to right common carotid artery. Twenty-four hours after implantation, 0.5 ml 100.000 colony forming unit (cfu) of S. aureus was injected via the tail vein and 3 days later echocardiography was performed and rats subsequently sacrificed. IE was later diagnosed histopathologically. RESULTS: Two of the rats were exitus one day after S. auerus was given. The mortality rate of the experiment was 28.5%. Histopathological examination revealed vegetations and bacterial colonization were detected in the endocardium in all rats that protruded from the endocardium to the cardiac cavity. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first study in the literature to identify the IE rat model using the 20 G catheter. Due to the practical application of the surgical procedure (use of 20 G catheter) in our study, we think that it will provide much convenience to the researchers in the experimental research on IE diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords

• Infective endocarditis
• MSSA
• Rat
• Model

References

1. Şimşek Yavuz S. Infective Endocarditis: An Update. Klimik Journal. 2015; 28(2): 46-67. 2.
2. Cahill TJ, Prendergast BD. Infective Endocarditis. Lancet. 2016; 387: 882–93. 3.
3. Pant S, Deshmukh A, Mehta JL. Reply: Trends in Infective Endocarditis: Incidence, Microbiology, and Valve Replacement in the United States From 2000 to 2011: The Devil Is in the Details. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2015 8; 66(10):1202-3.
4. Şimşek Yavuz S, Şensoy A, Kaşıkçıoğlu H, et al. Infective endocarditis in Turkey: aetiology, clinical features, and analysis of risk factors for mortality in 325 cases. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2015 Jan;30:106-14.
5. Durack DT, Beeson PB. Experimental bacterial endocarditis. I: colonization of a sterile vegetation. British Journal of Experimantal Pathology. 1972; 53(1): 44-9.
6. Fogarasi M, Pullman J, Winnard P Jr, Hnatowich DJ, Rusckowski M. Pretargeting of bacterial endocarditis in rats with streptavidin and 111 In-labeled biotin. J Nucl Med. 1999 Mar;40(3):484-90.
7. Victorio GB, Bourdon LMB, Benavides LG, et al. Antifungal activity of caspofungin in experimental infective endocarditis caused by Candida albicans. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2017; 112(5): 370–375.
8. Hady WA, Bayer AS, Xiong YQ. Experimental endocarditis model of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in rat. Journal of Visualized Experiments 2012; (64): 3863.

9. Que YA, Haefliger JA, Piroth L, et al. Fibrinogen and fibronectin binding cooperate for valve infection and invasion in Staphylococcus aureus experimental endocarditis. J Exp Med. 2005 May 16;201(10):1627-35.
10. Héraïef E, Glauser MP, Freedman LR. Natural history of aortic valve endocarditis in rats. Infect Immun. 1982 Jul;37(1):127-31.
11. Tran TT, Tam VH, Murray BE, Arias CA, Singh KV. Efficacy of Telavancin Alone and in Combination with Ampicillin in a Rat Model of Enterococcus faecalis Endocarditis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017 May 24;61(6) :02489-16.
12. Miller WR, Singh KV, Arias CA, Murray BE. Adjunctive Clavulanic Acid Abolishes the Cefazolin Inoculum Effect in an Experimental Rat Model of Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus Endocarditis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2018 Oct 24;62(11): 01158-18.
13. Mann D, Zipes D, Libby P, Bonow R. Braunwald a textbook of cardiovascular medicine edition 10th ed. 2014; p 1639-40.
14. Benali K, Louedec L, Azzouna BE, et al. Preclinical Validation of 99mTc–Annexin A5-128 in Experimental Autoimmune Myocarditis and Infective Endocarditis: Comparison with 99mTc–HYNIC–Annexin A5. Mol Imaging 2014;13:1-10.
15. Afonso L, Kottam A, Reddy V, Penumetcha A. Echocardiography in Infective Endocarditis: State of the Art. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(12):127.