Development and Optimization of a Neonatal Rat Model of Sepsis

Neonatal sepsis is the most common cause of mortality in newborns. Currently antibiotics and supportive care are the mainstay of treatment. Blood culture is considered as the gold standard for confirmation of diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. Here we have tried to develop a neonatal rat model of sepsis in order to better understand its progression. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is one of the common agents used to induce sepsis in rats. Here we found that LPS was ineffective in inducing sepsis in neonatal rats. We found that induction of live dose of Escherichia coli, one of the most common causes of neonatal sepsis was more effective than LPS injection. The rats were continuously monitored for the visual indications of sepsis development. Body weight, body temperature and the activity of rats were monitored continuously. Blood culture was done to check for the confirmation of diagnosis of sepsis. Further biochemical tests such as citrate, urease, indole and kliger-ion tests were done to confirm for E coli in the colonies of blood culture. The minimum effective dose of E coli needed to induce sepsis in neonatal rats was found to be 5*106 CFU of E coli.