The authors would like to thank EPSRC (EP/R513313/1) for funding. The authors would like to also thank R.B Elliot and Son Abattoir in Calow, Chesterfield, for providing lambs&#39; heads and for being so accommodating in the early stages of the project, Kasia Emery for her support throughout the development of this protocol, and Fiona Wright from the Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease at the University of Sheffield for processing the histology samples and being so incredibly helpful throughout this project.

Lambs&#39; heads from the R.B Elliott and Son Abattoir were used as the source of skin samples in this project. All lambs were slaughtered for consumption as food. Instead of discarding the heads, these were repurposed for research. Ethics approval was not required as the tissue was sourced from waste discarded from abattoirs.
1. Sterilization
<ol>
	<li>Disinfect forceps prior to collection of the heads by taking clean forceps and performing dry heat sterilization in an oven at 200 &#176;C for 1 h. Autoclave all glassware at 121 &#176;C for 15 min before use.</li>
	<li>Carry out all described work within a microbiology class 2 cabinet. Prepare all reagents as per the manufacturer&#39;s instructions.</li>
</ol>
2. Sample collection
<ol>
	<li>In the abattoir, Swaledale lambs were slaughtered by stunning using electricity or a captive-bolt pistol and exsanguinated. Collect lamb heads no more than 4 h post-slaughter.</li>
</ol>
3. Preparation of the heads
<ol>
	<li>Disinfect the forehead section of the lamb by pouring approximately 100 mL of 200 ppm chlorine dioxide solution onto the sample area. Shave the forehead section of the head using electric clippers and wash the area with 200 mL of 200 ppm chlorine dioxide solution.</li>
	<li>Wipe the area with ethanol and blue roll and cover the sample area with hair removal cream for 35 min. Gently scrape off the hair removal cream using a scraping tool and assess the sample area. If a significant amount of hair remains, repeat the hair removal process.</li>
	<li>Use a further 200 mL of chlorine dioxide solution to rinse the area, and then rinse with ethanol and wipe with a blue roll.</li>
	<li>Using a sterile 8 mm biopsy punch, cut out 8 mm skin samples from the prepared area. Remove the samples using sterile forceps and a 15-blade scalpel, ensuring that all cutaneous fat is removed.</li>
	<li>Place the samples in a sterile 0.5 L jar filled with sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and then transfer them to sterile 50 mL tubes with 50 mL of 200 ppm chlorine dioxide solution, invert twice, and leave to sterilize for 30 min.</li>
	<li>Remove the samples from the chlorine dioxide solution and wash them by placing them in a 50 mL tube filled with 40 mL of sterile PBS. Once washed, place each individual skin sample in a separate well of a 24-well plate.</li>
	<li>Add 350 &#181;L of pre-warmed medium while maintaining the sample at the air-liquid interface. The composition of the media is as follows: MK media (Medium 199 with Hanks&#39; salts, L-glutamate, and 1.75 mg/mL sodium bicarbonate) and Ham&#39;s F12 in a 1:1 ratio, with added FBS (10% v/v), EGF (10 ng/mL), insulin (5 &#181;g/mL), penicillin-streptomycin (100 U/mL), and amphotericin B (2.5 &#181;g/mL).</li>
	<li>Seal the 24-well plates with a gas permeable plate seal and incubate at 37 &#176;C in a humidified 5% CO2 tissue incubator for up to 24 h.</li>
</ol>
4. Maintenance of skin samples
<ol>
	<li>After incubation, remove the culture medium and rinse the samples in 500 &#181;L of sterile PBS. Add antibiotic-free media to each sample and incubate at 37 &#176;C in a humidified 5% CO2 tissue incubator for 24 h to remove residual antibiotics in the sample.</li>
	<li>If turbidity or fungal infection develop in the antibiotic-free media after 24 h, then discard the sample.</li>
</ol>
5. Preparation of the inoculum
<ol>
	<li>Prepare a 50 mL tube with 10 mL of sterile tryptic soy broth. Take a fresh agar plate of S. aureus and use a swab to transfer several colonies into the broth. Incubate for 18 h at 37 &#176;C at 150 rpm.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge at 4,000 x g for 3 min. Remove the supernatant and resuspend the cell pellet in 10 mL of sterile PBS. Repeat twice to ensure adequate washing of the cells.</li>
	<li>Adjust the inoculum to 0.6 OD600 in sterile PBS. Confirm the inoculum load by undertaking a manual viable plate count.</li>
</ol>
6. Infection of skin samples
<ol>
	<li>Prepare a fresh 24-well plate with 400 &#181;L of pre-warmed antibiotic-free media and add in the 24-well inserts using sterile forceps.</li>
	<li>Remove the media from the skin samples, wash with 500 &#181;L of sterile PBS, and remove the wash. Use sterile forceps to gently hold the sample to the bottom of the well.</li>
	<li>Use a 4 mm punch biopsy to make a central wound flap, piercing through to a rough depth of 1-2 mm. Then, use a 15-blade scalpel and sterile toothed allis tissue forceps to remove the top layer of the wound flap. Variability in the wound dimensions may affect the outcome of the infection and the endpoint colony forming units (CFU).</li>
	<li>Once all the samples have been wounded, transfer them to the 24-well inserts using sterile forceps. Pipette 15 &#181;L of the bacterial inoculum into the wound bed. Then, incubate for 24 h at 37 &#176;C in a humidified 5% CO2 tissue incubator.</li>
	<li>If longer incubation periods are necessary, remove the media and replace it with fresh media every 24 h and incubate in the same conditions.</li>
</ol>
7. Determination of the bacterial load
<ol>
	<li>Remove the media from the bottom of the wells. With sterile forceps, transfer each sample into a separate 50 mL tube filled with 1 mL of sterile PBS.</li>
	<li>Use a fine-tipped homogenizer to homogenize the surface of the sample. Take care to ensure that the wound bed is in direct contact with the tip of the homogenizer.</li>
	<li>Homogenize each sample for 35 s on medium/high. The homogenizer detaches the bacteria from the surface of the wound bed to allow for enumeration of the bacterial load.</li>
	<li>Once all the samples are processed, vortex each sample, in turn, prior to pipetting. This is to ensure the bacterial homogenate is mixed.</li>
	<li>Pipette 20 &#181;L of vortexed homogenate into the corresponding well of a 96-well plate containing 180 &#181;L of sterile PBS.</li>
	<li>Serially dilute each sample homogenate to 1 x 10&#8722;7 and pipette 10 &#181;L of the diluted homogenate onto a tryptic soy agar plate in triplicate.</li>
	<li>Incubate the agar plate for 18 h at 37 &#176;C. Then, count the number of colonies to determine the CFU for each sample.</li>
</ol>

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The authors have nothing to disclose

The development of antimicrobials is an important but expensive venture that is estimated to cost around $1 billion and take around 15 years to complete. Over 90% of antimicrobial drug discovery and preclinical studies of antimicrobial drug efficacy are carried out by academic researchers and small to medium companies with typically less than 50 employees22. These teams are very financially constrained, which makes the failure of lead molecules in later stages of translational research calamitous....

Skin infections are an important global issue, with large economic costs to healthcare providers around the world. The development of multidrug resistance and biofilm formation by pathogens plays a key role in the prevalence of non-healing wounds1,2,3,4. As a result of this, skin and soft tissue infections are one of the more common reasons for extended hospitalization and subsequent readmission5. Delays in wound healing are costly for both the patient and healthcare providers, with some estimates suggesting around 6.5 million patients are affected annually in the US. In the UK, skin infections and associated complications result in approximately 75,000 deaths annually2,4,6.
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a formidable wound pathogen frequently isolated from patient wounds2,7. The rate of emergence of multidrug resistance increased drastically in the 2000s. During this time, around 60% of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections were culture positive for methicillin-resistant S. aureus1. The increasing number of multidrug-resistant strains among Staphylococci, and indeed other pathogens, within the last 2 decades indicates an urgent need for the rapid development of antibiotics with new modes of action that can overcome resistance.
However, since the early 2000s, antibiotic discovery programs have been dominated by longer developmental times and low success rates, with only 17% of novel antibiotics entering clinical trials in the US achieving market approval8. This suggests a disparity between results from in vitro testing of emerging antibiotics and their clinical outcomes. It can be contended that this disparity is largely due to differences in bacterial physiology during infections in vivo and during conventional microbiological methods when testing the efficacy of antibiotics in the in vitro preclinical stages. Therefore, novel laboratory methods that are more representative of bacterial physiology during infection are needed to improve the success rates in antibiotic discovery programs.
Current methods for studying skin infections include studies in live animals (e.g., mice), ex vivo skin models (e.g., porcine), and 3D tissue-engineered skin models (e.g., human)9,10,11,12. Studies in live animals are strictly regulated and have relatively low throughput. In animal models, wounding and infection cause significant distress to the animals and raise ethical concerns. Human skin models, ex vivo or tissue-engineered, require ethical approval, compliance with local and global legislation (the Human Tissue Act, the Declaration of Helsinki), and there is difficulty in acquiring tissues, with some requests taking years to fulfil13,14. Both model types are labor intensive and require significant expertise to ensure experimental success. Some current ex vivo skin infection models require pre-inoculated discs and additives for the wound bed to enable infection; although these models are incredibly useful, there are limitations in the infection process as additives limit the utilization of the wound bed as a nutrient source10,15,16,17. The model described in this study uses no additives to the wound bed, which ensures that the pathology of infection and viable cell counts are a result of direct utilization of the wound bed as the only nutrient source.
Given the need for new laboratory methods, a novel high-throughput ex vivo ovine model of skin infections for use in evaluating the efficacy of emerging antibiotics has been developed. Skin infection studies face many challenges-high costs, ethical concerns, and models that do not show a full picture20,21. Ex vivo models and 3D explant models allow for better visualization of the disease process and the impact treatments can have from a more clinically relevant model. Here, the setup of a novel ovine skin model is described, which&#160;is simple, reproducible, and clinically relevant and has high throughput. Ovine skin was chosen as sheep are one of the large mammals commonly used to model responses to infections in vivo. Moreover, they are readily available from abattoirs, ensuring a steady supply of skin for research, and their carcasses are not scalded, ensuring good tissue quality. This study used S. aureus as the exemplar pathogen; however, the model works well with other microorganisms.

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			<td>24 Well Companion Plate</td>
			<td>SLS&#160;</td>
			<td>353504</td>
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			<td>4 mm Biopsy Punch</td>
			<td>Williams Medical</td>
			<td>D7484</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>50 ml centrifuge tubes</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td>10788561</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>8 mm Biopsy Punch</td>
			<td>Williams Medical</td>
			<td>D7488</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Amphotericin B solution, sterile</td>
			<td>Sigma&#160;</td>
			<td>A2942</td>
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			<td>Colour Pro Style Cordless Hair Clipper</td>
			<td>Wahl</td>
			<td>9639-2117X</td>
			<td>Hair Clippers</td>
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			<td>Dual Oven Incubator</td>
			<td>SLS</td>
			<td>OVe1020</td>
			<td>Sterilising oven</td>
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			<td>Epidermal growth factor&#160;</td>
			<td>SLS</td>
			<td>E5036-200UG</td>
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			<td>Ethanol</td>
			<td>Honeywell</td>
			<td>458600-2.5L</td>
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			<td>F12 HAM</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>N4888</td>
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			<td>Foetal bovine serum&#160;</td>
			<td>Labtech International</td>
			<td>CA-115/500</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Forceps</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>15307805</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Hair Removal Cream</td>
			<td>Veet</td>
			<td>Not applicable</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Heracell VIOS 160i</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>15373212&#160;</td>
			<td>Tissue culture incubator</td>
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		<tr>
			<td>Heraeus Megafuge 16R</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>521-2242</td>
			<td>Centrifuge</td>
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		<tr>
			<td>Homogenizer 220, Handheld</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>15575809</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Homogenizer 220, plastic blending cones</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td>15585819</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Insert Individual 24 well 0.4um membrane</td>
			<td>VWR International</td>
			<td>353095</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Insulin, recombinant Human</td>
			<td>SLS</td>
			<td>91077C-1G</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Medium 199 (MK media)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>M0393</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Microplate, cell culture Costar 96 well</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>10687551</td>
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			<td>Multitron</td>
			<td>Infors</td>
			<td>Not applicable</td>
			<td>Bacterial incubator</td>
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			<td>PBS tablets</td>
			<td>Sigma&#160;</td>
			<td>P4417-100TAB</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
			<td>SLS&#160;</td>
			<td>P0781</td>
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			<td>Plate seals</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>ESI-B-100</td>
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			<td>Safe 2020</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>1284804</td>
			<td>Class II microbiology safety cabinet</td>
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			<td>Scalpel blade number 15</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>O305</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Scalpel Swann Morton</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>11849002</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Sodium bicarbonate</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S5761-1KG</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Toothed Allis Tissue Forceps</td>
			<td>Rocialle</td>
			<td>RSPU500-322</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Tryptic Soy Agar</td>
			<td>Merck Life Science UK Limited</td>
			<td>14432-500G-F</td>
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			<td>Tryptic Soy Broth</td>
			<td>Merck Life Science UK Limited</td>
			<td>41298-500G-F</td>
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			<td>Vimoba Tablets</td>
			<td>Quip Labs</td>
			<td>VMTAB75BX</td>
			<td></td>
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a novel high-throughput ex vivo ovine skin wound model for testing emerging antibiotics

The development of antimicrobials is an expensive process with increasingly low success rates, which makes further investment in antimicrobial discovery research less attractive. Antimicrobial drug discovery and subsequent commercialization can be made more lucrative if a fail-fast-and-fail-cheap approach can be implemented within the lead optimization stages where researchers have greater control over drug design and formulation. In this article, the setup of an ex vivo ovine wounded skin model infected with Staphylococcus aureus&#160;is described, which is simple, cost-effective, high throughput, and reproducible. The bacterial physiology in the model mimics that during infection as bacterial proliferation is dependent on the pathogen&#39;s ability to damage the tissue. The establishment of wound infection is verified by an increase in viable bacterial counts compared to the inoculum. This model can be used as a platform to test the efficacy of emerging antimicrobials in the lead optimization stage. It can be contended that the availability of this model will provide researchers developing antimicrobials with a fail-fast-and-fail-cheap model, which will help increase success rates in subsequent animal trials. The model will also facilitate the reduction and refinement of animal use for research and ultimately enable faster and more cost-effective translation of novel antimicrobials for skin and soft tissue infections to the clinic.

The identification of a route to sterilize the skin before setting up the wound infection model was challenging. The challenge lay in sterilizing the skin without damaging the different skin layers, which may then go on to have unintended consequences in the outcome of infection. To identify an appropriate sterilization regime, different treatments were tried for varying lengths of time, as outlined in Table 1. Contamination was recorded as the development of turbidity after 48 h in the MK medium used to...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Novel High-Throughput Ex Vivo Ovine Skin Wound Model for Testing Emerging Antibiotics at JoVE.com

A Novel High-Throughput Ex Vivo Ovine Skin Wound Model for Testing Emerging Antibiotics

The protocol describes a step-by-step method to set up an ex vivo ovine wounded skin model infected with Staphylococcus aureus. This high-throughput model better simulates infections in vivo compared with conventional microbiology techniques and presents researchers with a physiologically relevant platform to test the efficacy of emerging antimicrobials.

A Novel High-Throughput Ex Vivo Ovine Skin Wound Model for Testing Emerging Antibiotics

The development of antimicrobials is an expensive process with increasingly low success rates, which makes further investment in antimicrobial discovery ...

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Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

1.9K Views.  University of Sheffield. The protocol describes a step-by-step method to set up an ex vivo ovine wounded skin model infected with Staphylococcus aureus. This high-throughput model better simulates infections in vivo compared with conventional microbiology techniques and presents researchers with a physiologically relevant platform to test the efficacy of emerging antimicrobials.

Video: A Novel High-Throughput Ex Vivo Ovine Skin Wound Model for Testing Emerging Antibiotics

A 96 Well Microtiter Plate-based Method for Monitoring Formation and Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Candida albicans Biofilms

Candida albicans remains the most frequent cause of fungal infections in an expanding population of compromised patients and candidiasis is now the third most common infection in US hospitals. Different manifestations of candidiasis are associated with biofilm formation, both on host tissues and/or medical devices (i.e. catheters). Biofilm formation carries negative clinical implications, as cells within the biofilms are protected from host immune responses and from the action of antifungals. We have developed a simple, fast and robust in vitro model for the formation of C. albicans biofilms using 96 well microtiter-plates, which can also be used for biofilm antifungal susceptibility testing. The readout of this assay is colorimetric, based on the reduction of XTT (a tetrazolium salt) by metabolically active fungal biofilm cells. A typical experiment takes approximately 24 h for biofilm formation, with an additional 24 h for antifungal susceptibility testing. Because of its simplicity and the use of commonly available laboratory materials and equipment, this technique democratizes biofilm research and represents an important step towards the standardization of antifungal susceptibility testing of fungal biofilms.

A 96 Well Microtiter Plate-based Method for Monitoring Formation and Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Candida albicans Biofilms

We describe a simple, rapid and robust method for the formation of Candida albicans biofilms using 96 well microtiter plates and its utility in antifungal susceptibility testing of cells within biofilms.

Candida albicans remains the most frequent cause of fungal infections in an expanding population of compromised patients and candidiasis is now the third ...

Isolation of Brain and Spinal Cord Mononuclear Cells Using Percoll Gradients

Isolation of immune cells that infiltrate the central nervous system (CNS) during infection, trauma, autoimmunity or neurodegeneration, is often required to define their phenotype and effector functions. Histochemical approaches are instrumental to determine the location of the infiltrating cells and to analyze the associated CNS pathology. However, in-situ histochemistry and immunofluorescent staining techniques are limited by the number of antibodies that can be used at a single time to characterize immune cell subtypes in a particular tissue. Therefore, histological approaches in conjunction with immune-phenotyping by flow cytometry are critical to fully characterize the composition of local CNS infiltration. This protocol is based on the separation of CNS cellular suspensions over discontinous percoll gradients. The current article describes a rapid protocol to efficiently isolate mononuclear cells from brain and spinal cord tissues that can be effectively utilized for identification of various immune cell populations in a single sample by flow cytometry.

The current article describes a rapid protocol to efficiently isolate mononuclear cells from brain and spinal cord tissues that can be effectively utilized for flow cytometric analyses.

Isolation of immune cells that infiltrate the central nervous system (CNS) during infection, trauma, autoimmunity or neurodegeneration, is often required ...

Lymphocyte Isolation from Human Skin for Phenotypic Analysis and Ex Vivo Cell Culture

Human skin has an important barrier function and contains various immune cells that contribute to tissue homeostasis and protection from pathogens. As the skin is relatively easy to access, it provides an ideal platform to study peripheral immune regulatory mechanisms. Immune resident cells in healthy skin conduct immunosurveillance, but also play an important role in the development of inflammatory skin disorders, such as psoriasis. Despite emerging insights, our understanding of the biology underlying various inflammatory skin diseases is still limited. There is a need for good quality (single) cell populations isolated from biopsied skin samples. So far, isolation procedures have been seriously hampered by a lack of obtaining a sufficient number of viable cells. Isolation and subsequent analysis have also been affected by the loss of immune cell lineage markers, due to the mechanical and chemical stress caused by the current dissociation procedures to obtain single cell suspension. Here, we describe a modified method to isolate T cells from both healthy and involved psoriatic human skin by combining mechanical skin dissociation using an automated tissue dissociator and collagenase treatment. This methodology preserves expression of most immune lineage markers such as CD4, CD8, Foxp3 and CD11c upon the preparation of single cell suspensions. Examples of successful CD4+ T cell isolation and subsequent phenotypic and functional analysis are shown.

Lymphocyte Isolation from Human Skin for Phenotypic Analysis and Ex Vivo Cell Culture

We describe a protocol to efficiently isolate skin resident T cells from human skin biopsies. This protocol yields sufficient numbers of viable human skin resident lymphocytes for flow cytometric analysis and ex vivo culture.

Human skin has an important barrier function and contains various immune cells that contribute to tissue homeostasis and protection from pathogens. As the ...

High Throughput, Real-time, Dual-readout Testing of Intracellular Antimicrobial Activity and Eukaryotic Cell Cytotoxicity

Traditional measures of intracellular antimicrobial activity and eukaryotic cell cytotoxicity rely on endpoint assays. Such endpoint assays require several additional experimental steps prior to readout, such as cell lysis, colony forming unit determination, or reagent addition. When performing thousands of assays, for example, during high-throughput screening, the downstream effort required for these types of assays is considerable. Therefore, to facilitate high-throughput antimicrobial discovery, we developed a real-time assay to simultaneously identify inhibitors of intracellular bacterial growth and assess eukaryotic cell cytotoxicity. Specifically, real-time intracellular bacterial growth detection was enabled by marking bacterial screening strains with either a bacterial lux operon (1st generation assay) or fluorescent protein reporters (2nd generation, orthogonal assay). A non-toxic, cell membrane-impermeant, nucleic acid-binding dye was also added during initial infection of macrophages. These dyes are excluded from viable cells. However, non-viable host cells lose membrane integrity permitting entry and fluorescent labeling of nuclear DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Notably, DNA binding is associated with a large increase in fluorescent quantum yield that provides a solution-based readout of host cell death. We have used this combined assay to perform a high-throughput screen in microplate format, and to assess intracellular growth and cytotoxicity by microscopy. Notably, antimicrobials may demonstrate synergy in which the combined effect of two or more antimicrobials when applied together is greater than when applied separately. Testing for in vitro synergy against intracellular pathogens is normally a prodigious task as combinatorial permutations of antibiotics at different concentrations must be assessed. However, we found that our real-time assay combined with automated, digital dispensing technology permitted facile synergy testing. Using these approaches, we were able to systematically survey action of a large number of antimicrobials alone and in combination against the intracellular pathogen, Legionella pneumophila.

A high throughput, real-time assay was developed to simultaneously identify (1) eukaryotic cell-penetrant antimicrobials targeting an intracellular bacterial pathogen, and (2) assess eukaryotic cell cytotoxicity. A variation on the same technology was thereafter combined with digital dispensing technology to enable facile, high-resolution, dose-response, and two- and three-dimensional synergy studies.

Traditional measures of intracellular antimicrobial activity and eukaryotic cell cytotoxicity rely on endpoint assays. Such endpoint assays require ...

A Novel In Vitro Wound Healing Assay to Evaluate Cell Migration

The aim of this work is to show a novel method to evaluate the ability of some immunomodulatory molecules, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), to stimulate cell migration. Importantly, cell migration is a rate-limiting event during the wound-healing process to re-establish the integrity and normal function of tissue layers after injury. The advantage of this method over the classical assay, which is based on a manually made scratch in a cell monolayer, is the usage of special silicone culture inserts providing two compartments to create a cell-free pseudo-wound field with a well-defined width (500 &#956;m). In addition, due to an automated image analysis platform, it is possible to rapidly obtain quantitative data on the speed of wound closure and cell migration. More precisely, the effect of two frog-skin AMPs on the migration of bronchial epithelial cells will be shown. Furthermore, pretreatment of these cells with specific inhibitors will provide information on the molecular mechanisms underlying such events.

A Novel In Vitro Wound Healing Assay to Evaluate Cell Migration

Here, we present a protocol to evaluate the effect of peptides on the migration of bronchial epithelial cells. This method allows for the rapid and highly reproducible obtainment of quantitative data on the speed of cell migration and wound closure.

The aim of this work is to show a novel method to evaluate the ability of some immunomodulatory molecules, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), to ...

A High-throughput Platform for the Screening of Salmonella spp./Shigella spp.

Fecal-oral transmission of acute gastroenteritis occurs from time to time, especially when people who handled food and water are infected by Salmonella spp./Shigella spp. The gold standard method for the detection of Salmonella spp./Shigella spp. is direct culture but this is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Here, we describe a high-throughput platform for Salmonella spp./Shigella spp. screening, using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with guided culture. There are two major stages: real-time PCR and the guided culture. For the first stage (real-time PCR), we explain each step of the method: sample collection, pre-enrichment, DNA extraction and real-time PCR. If the real-time PCR result is positive, then the second stage (guided culture) is performed: selective culture, biochemical identification and serological characterization. We also illustrate representative results generated from it. The protocol described here would be a valuable platform for the rapid, specific, sensitive and high-throughput screening of Salmonella spp./Shigella spp.

A High-throughput Platform for the Screening of Salmonella spp./Shigella spp.

Salmonella spp./Shigella spp. are common pathogens attributed to diarrhea. Here, we describe a high-throughput platform for the screening of Salmonella spp./Shigella spp. using real-time PCR combined with guided culture.

Fecal-oral transmission of acute gastroenteritis occurs from time to time, especially when people who handled food and water are infected by Salmonella ...

In Vivo Imaging of Reactive Oxygen Species in a Murine Wound Model

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a hallmark of inflammatory processes, but in excess, oxidative stress is widely implicated in various pathologies such as cancer, atherosclerosis and diabetes. We have previously shown that dysfunction of the Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2)/ Kelch-like erythroid cell-derived protein 1 (Keap1) signaling pathway leads to extreme ROS imbalance during cutaneous wound healing in diabetes. Since ROS levels are an important indicator of progression of wound healing, specific and accurate quantification techniques are valuable. Several in vitro assays to measure ROS in cells and tissues have been described; however, they only provide a single cumulative measurement per sample. More recently, the development of protein-based indicators and imaging modalities have allowed for unique spatiotemporal analyses. L-012 (C13H8ClN4NaO2) is a luminol derivative that can be used for both in vivo and in vitro chemiluminescent detection of ROS generated by NAPDH oxidase. L-012 emits a stronger signal than other fluorescent probes and has been shown to be both sensitive and reliable for detecting ROS. The time lapse applicability of L-012-facilitated imaging provides valuable information about inflammatory processes while reducing the need for sacrifice and overall reducing the number of study animals. Here, we describe a protocol utilizing L-012-facilitated in vivo imaging to quantify oxidative stress in a model of excisional wound healing using diabetic mice with locally dysfunctional Nrf2/Keap1.

In Vivo Imaging of Reactive Oxygen Species in a Murine Wound Model

We describe a non-invasive in vivo imaging protocol that is streamlined and cost-effective, utilizing L-012, a chemiluminescent luminol-analog, to visualize and quantify reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in a mouse excisional wound model.

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a hallmark of inflammatory processes, but in excess, oxidative stress is widely implicated in various ...

A High-throughput Shigella-specific Bactericidal Assay

Serum bactericidal assays (SBAs) measure the functional activity of antibodies and have been used for many decades. SBAs directly measure antibody killing activity by assessing the ability of antibodies in serum to bind to bacteria and activate complement. This complement activation results in the lysis and killing of the target bacteria. These assays are valuable because they go beyond quantifying antibody production to elucidate the biological functions that these antibodies have, allowing researchers to study the role that antibodies may play in preventing infection. SBAs have been used to study immune responses for many human pathogens, but there is no widely accepted methodology for Shigella at present. Historically, SBAs have been very labor-intensive, requiring many time-consuming steps to accurately quantify surviving bacteria. This protocol describes a simple, robust, and high-throughput assay that measures functional antibodies specific for Shigella in serum in vitro. The method described here offers many advantages over traditional SBAs, including the use of frozen bacterial stocks, 96 well assay plates, a micro-culture system, and automated colony-counting. All of these modifications make this assay less labor-intensive and more high-throughput. This protocol is simpler and faster to perform than traditional SBAs while still using simple technologies and readily available reagents. The protocol has been successfully applied in multiple independent laboratories and the assay is robust and reproducible. The assay can be used to assess immune responses in pre-clinical as well as clinical studies. Quantifying shigellacidal antibody titers both before and after antigen exposure (either by immunization or infection) allows for a broader understanding of how functional antibody responses are generated and their contribution to protective immunity. The development of this standardized, well-characterized assay may greatly facilitate Shigella vaccine design.

A High-throughput Shigella-specific Bactericidal Assay

Here we present a protocol to measure Shigellacidal activity of antibodies in serum. Serum is mixed with bacteria and exogenous complement, incubated, and the reaction mixture is plated on agar plates. Viable bacteria form colonies which are counted, using an automated colony enumerator, and used to determine the bactericidal titer.

Serum bactericidal assays (SBAs) measure the functional activity of antibodies and have been used for many decades. SBAs directly measure antibody killing ...

Establishing a Porcine Ex Vivo Cornea Model for Studying Drug Treatments against Bacterial Keratitis

When developing novel antimicrobials, the success of animal trials is dependent on accurate extrapolation of antimicrobial efficacy from in vitro tests to animal infections in vivo. The existing in vitro tests typically overestimate antimicrobial efficacy as the presence of host tissue as a diffusion barrier is not accounted for. To overcome this bottleneck, we have developed an ex vivo porcine corneal model of bacterial keratitis using Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a prototypic organism. This article describes the preparation of the porcine cornea and protocol for establishment of the infection. Bespoke glass molds enable straightforward setup of the cornea for infection studies. The model mimics in vivo infection as bacterial proliferation is dependent on the ability of the bacterium to damage corneal tissue. Establishment of infection is verified as an increase in the number of colony forming units assessed via viable plate counts. The results demonstrate that infection can be established in a highly reproducible fashion in the ex vivo corneas using the method described here. The model can be extended in the future to mimic keratitis caused by microorganisms other than P. aeruginosa. The ultimate aim of the model is to investigate the effect of antimicrobial chemotherapy on the progress of bacterial infection in a scenario more representative of in vivo infections. In so doing, the model described here will reduce the use of animals for testing, improve success rates in clinical trials and ultimately enable rapid translation of novel antimicrobials to the clinic.

This article describes a step-by-step protocol to set up an ex vivo porcine model of bacterial keratitis. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is used as a prototypic organism. This innovative model mimics in vivo infection as bacterial proliferation is dependent on the ability of the bacterium to damage corneal tissue.

When developing novel antimicrobials, the success of animal trials is dependent on accurate extrapolation of antimicrobial efficacy from in vitro tests to ...

Antibiotic Efficacy Testing in an Ex vivo Model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung

The effective prescription of antibiotics for the bacterial biofilms present within the lungs of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) is limited by a poor correlation between antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) results using standard diagnostic methods (e.g., broth microdilution, disk diffusion, or Etest) and clinical outcomes after antibiotic treatment. Attempts to improve AST by the use of off-the-shelf biofilm growth platforms show little improvement in results. The limited ability of in vitro biofilm systems to mimic the physicochemical environment of the CF lung and, therefore bacterial physiology and biofilm architecture, also acts as a brake on the discovery of novel therapies for CF infection. Here, we present a protocol to perform AST of CF pathogens grown as mature, in vivo-like biofilms in an ex vivo CF lung model comprised of pig bronchiolar tissue and synthetic CF sputum (ex vivo&#160;pig lung, EVPL).
Several in vitro&#160;assays exist for biofilm susceptibility testing, using either standard laboratory medium or various formulations of synthetic CF sputum in microtiter plates. Both growth medium and biofilm substrate (polystyrene plate vs. bronchiolar tissue) are likely to affect biofilm antibiotic tolerance. We show enhanced tolerance of clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus isolates in the ex vivo model; the effects of antibiotic treatment of biofilms is not correlated with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in standard microdilution assays or a sensitive/resistant classification in disk diffusion assays.
The ex vivo platform could be used for bespoke biofilm AST of patient samples and as an enhanced testing platform for potential antibiofilm agents during pharmaceutical research and development. Improving the prescription or acceleration of antibiofilm drug discovery through the use of more in vivo-like testing platforms could drastically improve health outcomes for individuals with CF, as well as reduce the costs of clinical treatment and discovery research.

Antibiotic Efficacy Testing in an Ex vivo Model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung

This workflow can be used to perform antibiotic susceptibility testing using an established&#160;ex vivo model of bacterial biofilm in the lungs of individuals with cystic fibrosis. Use of this model could enhance the clinical validity of MBEC (minimal biofilm eradication concentration) assays.

The effective prescription of antibiotics for the bacterial biofilms present within the lungs of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) is limited by a ...