Abstract:

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly prevalent Gram-positive pathogenic bacterium in clinical settings, capable of causing skin and soft tissue infections, pneumonia, sepsis, infective endocarditis and other illnesses. The emergence and spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pose formidable challenges to clinical treatment. Animal models serve as vital tools for dissecting its pathogenic and drug resistance mechanisms, as well as evaluating novel anti-infective strategies. Four well-established models for S. aureus infection research include skin and soft tissue infection models, osteomyelitis and implant-associated infection models, pneumonia models, and infective endocarditis models. This review systematically elaborates on laboratory animal selection criteria, mainstream modeling protocols, application scenarios, and the respective advantages and limitations of these four model types. Common laboratory animals encompass mice, rats, rabbits, pigs and so forth. Skin and soft tissue infection models feature rapid construction and low costs yet struggle to recapitulate complex chronic lesions. Osteomyelitis and implant-associated infection models are primarily utilized to mimic bacterial biofilm formation and the process of chronic infection. Pneumonia models are applied to investigate acute lung injury and assess drug efficacy. Infective endocarditis models are primarily used to investigate the mechanisms of vegetation formation and evaluate the efficacy of drugs against deep-seated infection. Due to the inherent differences in immune systems between laboratory animals and humans, these existing models generally have limitations. For instance, most animal models employ relatively high bacterial inoculation doses with short experimental cycles, making it difficult to fully recapitulate the clinical process of chronic infection. Future improvements can be realized by developing humanized animal models and organ-on-a-chip in vitro systems to overcome interspecies differences, integrating comorbid factors to enhance clinical relevance, adopting multimodal dynamic assessment systems, and establishing non-animal alternatives. This review aims to provide systematic theoretical references for the rational selection, optimization, and application of animal models of S. aureus infection, thereby contributing to advances in the field of anti-infective research.

Key words: Staphylococcus aureus, Animal model, Pathogenic mechanism, Drug resistance, Prevention and control strategies