Titrating Bacterial Sepsis Severity in Mice

A series of different bacterial doses were administered to freely fed mice to titrate the severity of the model. Mice received various amounts of CS stock by injection into the peritoneal cavity. The frozen CS (kept in 15% glycerol at −80°C) was rapidly thawed by submerging the cryovial(s) in a 37°C water bath, mixed thoroughly, and used immediately for injection with a 21-gauge needle. Rectal body temperature was monitored for each mouse shortly before injection and thereafter at multiple time-points and survival was monitored for at least 10 days. Circulating bacteria were monitored by plating diluted blood taken by tail vessel microsampling from each mouse at 12, 24, and/or 48 h after CS injection.