Rat and Mouse models of Salmonellosis

S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis cause a lethal infection in susceptible (itys) mice, even at low infective doses. The disease partly resembles that elicited by S. typhi or S. paratyphi and is used as a model of typhoid-like illness. A major feature of the infection is uncontrolled proliferation of pathogen in systemic tissues and development of bacteraemia. This is atypical for S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis, which generally cause a self-limiting gastroenteritis in humans and domesticated animals. In contrast, the disease in the C3H/HeN mouse, whilst mainly gastrointestinal, had a significant systemic component and was not self-limiting. Nonetheless, both can be useful models for study of the effects of host, dietary and bacterial factors on pathogenicity.