Animal models represent part of the arsenal available to researchers studying the pathophysiology of potentially deadly human pathogens such as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). The optimal model may differ depending on what aspects of pathogen biology, disease progression, or host response are under study. Here, we provide detailed protocols for the infant rabbit model of STEC, which largely reproduces the intestinal disease seen following natural oral infection, and share insights from studies examining O157 and non-O157 serotypes.
Keywords: Animal model; Colonic inflammation; Colonization; Diarrhea; Escherichia coli; Oral infection; Rabbits; Shiga toxin.