Pseudomonas aeruginosa poses a significant threat to both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals, often resulting in life-threatening infections. With increasing antimicrobial resistance, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Although animal models are crucial for preclinical studies, limited data are available for porcine models, more specifically for P. aeruginosa complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs). This study presents a novel porcine model inducing and sustaining cSSTI for 14 days. Six pigs (120 wounds) were used for the development of infections, and within this group, two pigs (40 wounds) were used to evaluate the progression of the cSSTI infection. The model demonstrated bacterial loads of more than 107 CFU/gram of tissue or higher. The cSSTI fully developed within three days and remained well above these levels until day 14 post-infection. Due to the immunocompetence of this model, all the immunological processes associated with the response to the presence of infection and the wound healing process are preserved.

Advanced Biomaterials Group Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Brno Czech Republic

Clinical Immunology and Immunology of Infectious Diseases Veterinary Research Institute Brno Czech Republic

Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery Institution Shared with University Hospital Brno Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Department of Histology and Embryology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Department of Microbiology St Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

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