**4. Pearls and pitfalls of the preclinical model establishment**

The key to establish the preclinical model is to implant the *Brucella* into the superior zone of the anterior column of lumbar vertebral body (**Figure 2**). In rabbits, to boost a localized inoculation into the vertebral body and minimize the vascular dissemination, the *Brucella* bacteria should be meticulously implanted within the superior zone of the anterior column of the L6 vertebral body of rabbits,

#### **Figure 2.**

*Schematic of the experimental challenge injection with* Brucella melitensis *into the 6th lumbar vertebrae (L6) of rabbits [14].*

*Preclinical Models of Brucellar Spondylodiscitis DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98754*

where the direct vertebral body feeding capillaries scantily supplied [14]. During the procedure, the insertion site, direction, and drill depth of the Kirschner wire should be properly monitored. The open surgery is recommended to expose the target vertebrae for the intraosseous injection rather than the radiograph-guided percutaneous injection to ensure an accurate localization of the bacterial inoculation. Also, to avoid iatrogenic nerve injuries intraoperatively, the different patterns of the level of the nerve root origin and adjacent vertebra in animals from humans need to be recognized.
