Spirometric assessment of bacterial lung infections in mice

Spirometry in rodents has been proposed to be an accurate method to assess the overall health of the animals following a bacterial lung infection without the need for sacrification. Head-out spirometry measuring 14 parameters was performed on C57 B L6/J mice following Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection for a time period of 8 days. Additionally temperature, weight and a behavioral score were assessed together with histological, bacteriological (colony forming units) and immunohistological data (Cytospots) from several time points in the initial phase of infection. Several spirometric parameters were significantly c…