InordertocompareandevaluatethreeanimalmodelsforstudyingthepathogenicityofStaphylococcusepidermidisstrains,threeexperimentalanimalmodels,namely,murineintra-venousLD50,mouseforeignbodyinfectionandratcentralvenouscatheter(CVC)infectionmodelswereusedtoassesstherelativevirulenceoftwoS.epidermidisstrains,ATCC12228and97-337.Theresultsfromthreeanimalmodelswerecomparable,indicatingS.epidermidis97-337wasmorevirulentthanstrainATCC12228.TheratCVCinfectionmodelbestmimickedtheconditionsofclinicalpatientswithintmvenonscatheters,andmoreinformationcouldbeobtainedfromthismodel.Weconcludethatdifferentinvivomodelsservefordif-ferentpurposes,andtheratCVCinfectionmodelismostsuitableforstudyingspecificcharacteristicsofcatheterrelatedinfectionscausedbyS.epidermidisstratus.
