Experimental model of Klebsiella infection in mice for studies on mechanisms of local immunity of the respiratory tract.

An experimental model in white mice, infected with a mildly virulent strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, was elaborated for studies on local immunity of the respiratory tract. Instillation of klebsiella into the supralaryngeal space of anaesthetised animals proved to be more suitable than the commonly used method of intranasal infection. The strain administered by the supralaryngeal route, persisted in the lungs of most mice at approximately equal level 1 d after infection, in some animals it could be demonstrated even after 2-3 d. Using this model (based on various rates of lung clearance), one can demonstrate faster elimination of klebsiella after a local (supralaryngeal) than systemic (intraperitoneal) immunization with a heat-inactivated vaccine, prepared from a homologous strain of K. pneumoniae.