Use of semisolid agar from initiation of pure Bacteroides fragilis infection in mice.

The development of a pure Bacteroides fragilis infection in mice is described. The infection produces large subcutaneous abscesses at the site of injection which can be observed grossly within 7 days after injection. The infection was initiated by infection of pure cultures grown in semisolid agar medium. Similar infections were also produced with pure cultures of B. distasonis, B. ovatus, B. thetaiotaomicron, and B. vulgatus. However, a distinct deoxyribonucleic acid homology group, formerly classified as B. thetaiotaomicron, did not produce abscesses in any of the mice tested.