Trans-dermal Cattle Inoculation for Lymph Node Infection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for infecting peripheral lymph nodes of large animals with pathogens like Salmonella are inconsistent and unpredictable, particularly for evaluating bacterial infections and testing the efficacy of vaccines or treatments, as they often rely on oral challenges that fail to consistently result in Salmonella-positive lymph nodes.
Innovation Solution
Development of a trans- and intra-dermal inoculation method using a multi-inoculator device to directly introduce pathogens into specific lymph node drainage areas, ensuring predictable infection and recovery of Salmonella from region-specific lymph nodes, allowing for the evaluation of vaccine efficacy and treatment effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If oral challenge methods are used to infect lymph nodes, then the procedure is simple to administer, but the infection results are inconsistent and unpredictable
Solution Approach 1:
The inoculation process is segmented into multiple discrete injection sites corresponding to specific lymph node drainage areas. Each injection unit targets a particular region (subiliac, popliteal, retropharangeal, superficial cervical, or mesenteric lymph nodes), allowing controlled and predictable pathogen delivery to specific lymph nodes rather than relying on systemic oral distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The skin and subcutaneous tissue serve as an intermediary route for pathogen delivery. By inoculating through the dermis into subcutaneous tissues, the pathogen is delivered directly to the lymphatic system's entry points, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract and ensuring reliable lymph node infection without requiring complex oral administration procedures.
2Reliability
If trans- and intra-dermal inoculation is used to directly infect lymph nodes, then infection predictability improves, but the device and procedure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-inoculator device is designed to perform multiple functions: it can deliver pathogens to various lymph node drainage areas through different injection sites, accommodate different pathogen types (bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoan, helminthic), and serve both diagnostic and research purposes. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple specialized devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The device structure employs a nested configuration where multiple injection units are integrated within a single handheld device body. The injection units can be arranged in arrays or clusters, allowing simultaneous or sequential delivery to multiple sites while maintaining a compact, manageable form factor that does not excessively increase operational complexity.
3Measurement precision
If multiple lymph node sites are monitored, then comprehensive infection evaluation is achieved, but the number of biopsies and measurement complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables region-specific pathogen recovery by targeting particular lymph node drainage areas. Each inoculation site is associated with specific lymph nodes (e.g., subiliac nodes for abdominal inoculation, popliteal nodes for leg inoculation), allowing researchers to evaluate pathogen distribution and immune responses in specific regional contexts rather than requiring comprehensive sampling of all lymph nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
The inoculation procedure establishes predetermined injection sites and corresponding lymph node targets before the actual infection study begins. This preliminary mapping of inoculation sites to specific lymph node drainage areas simplifies subsequent biopsy and evaluation procedures, as researchers know in advance which lymph nodes to sample based on the inoculation locations used.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention includes a method of observing and evaluating bacterial infections within the lymph nodes of animals presented for harvest comprising: inoculating at one or more sites of an animal a known amount of a pathogen, wherein the one or more inoculation sites comprise lymph node drainage areas, and at one or more time points obtaining one or more lymph node biopsies to determine the extent of the pathogen in the lymph nodes.