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A clinically relevant murine model of septic arthritis via direct inoculation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus into the knee joint is described. This protocol details methods for serum, synovial fluid and knee joint tissue analysis that more closely mimic the workup of septic arthritis in human patients.
Rats undergoing the stress-enhanced fear learning procedure are usually housed in social isolation and exposed to a trauma-like experience of 15 massed electric footshocks. By showing that group-housed rats receiving fewer and lower-magnitude electric shocks still exhibit PTSD-relevant changes, this new study presents refinements of the procedure to reduce potential animal pain.