Osteomyelitis is a bone infection that results in pain, loss of mobility, and significant morbidity. Current treatment requires prolonged antibiotic therapy and surgical debridement of sequestra (dead bone). Due to poor drug penetration into the bone and an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutics. Our osteomyelitis model serves as a screening tool to quickly identify which antimicrobials are most clinically efficacious.

Procedure
We have established a non-surgical model of induced chronic osteomyelitis in rats.  Animals are challenged via intraosseous injection into the cancellous bone marrow through the anterior surface of the proximal tibia (see photo).

Test article is typically administered via oral gavage (PO) or intravenous (IV) or intraperitoneal (IP) injection. Each study parameter (animal strain, pathogen, comparator(s), dosing schedule) can be customized to meet client needs. The infection is allowed to incubate for up to 4 weeks.

The endpoint for this study is CFU burden in the harvested tibia. Pharmacokinetic profiling, blood chemistry, tissue harvests, and histology are available upon request.

Pathogens
TransPharm has validated an osteomyelitis model using the following pathogens:

• Staphylococcus aureus
  • ATCC 49230
  • Strain 3527
  • ATCC BAA-1556
  • ATCC BAA-1756
• Staphylococcus epidermidis
  • ATCC 35984
  • ATCC 700578
  • ATCC 51625

Additional validations are available upon request.