Models of intestinal infection by Salmonella enterica: introduction of a new neonate mouse model

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a foodborne pathogen causing inflammatory disease in the intestine following diarrhea and is responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide. Many in vitro investigations using cell culture models are available, but these do not represent the real natural environment present in the intestine of infected hosts. Several in vivo animal models have been used to study the host-pathogen interaction and to unravel the immune responses and cellular processes occurring during infection. An animal model for Salmonella-induced intestinal inflammation relies on the pretreatment of mice with streptomycin. This model is of great importance but still shows limitations to investigate the host-pathogen interaction in the small intestine in vivo. Here, we review the use of mouse models for Salmonella infections and focus on a new small animal model using 1-day-old neonate mice. The neonate model enables researchers to observe infection of both the small and large intestine, thereby offering perspectives for new experimental approaches, as well as to analyze the Salmonella-enterocyte interaction in the small intestine in vivo.