Here, a procedure is described for the establishment of systemic infection in the neonatal rat with cultures of Escherichia coli K1. This non-invasive procedure permits colonization of the gastrointestinal tract, translocation of the pathogen to the systemic circulation, and invasion of the central nervous system at the choroid plexus.
Dalgakiran, F., Witcomb, L. A., McCarthy, A. J., Birchenough, G. M. H., Taylor, P. W. Non-Invasive Model of Neuropathogenic Escherichia coli Infection in the Neonatal Rat. J. Vis. Exp. (92), e52018, doi:10.3791/52018 (2014).