Research Progress in the Construction and Application of Animal Models for Periprosthetic Joint Infection

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Objective: To systematically review the current status of animal models for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) and to analyze key issues in their construction, application, and translation.Methods: Focusing on three core elements-selection of experimental animals, pathogen species and inoculation methods, and prosthesis design and implant characteristics-this review summarizes the characteristics of mouse, rat, rabbit, and large animal models and outlines their applications.Results: Mouse models facilitate genetic intervention and longitudinal bioluminescence imaging; rat and rabbit models offer advantages in surgical manipulation and implant size; large animals such as dogs and sheep have bones more similar to those of humans and can accommodate clinical-grade prostheses.Staphylococcus aureus is the predominant pathogen, and inoculation methods include intra-articular injection and intramedullary inoculation.Moreover, chronic low-grade, polymicrobial, and comorbidity models remain difficult to construct, and standardized outcome measures and ethical frameworks are still lacking.Conclusion: PJI animal models serve as a critical bridge between basic research and clinical practice, but challenges remain, including species differences, insufficient standardization, a lack of chronic and polymicrobial models, and limited predictive validity for clinical translation.Future development should move toward standardization, clinical relevance, dynamic assessment, and multi-omics integration; establish key outcome measures; and adhere to the 3R ethical principles, so as to improve the predictive validity of models and accelerate clinical translation.