Table 4. Hypotheses Tested A. actinomycetemcomitans rat feeding model.

Ability of microbe delivered via oral feeding to induce an infection.	(Fine, et al., 2001) (Schreiner, et al., 2003)
Ability of microbe to attach, colonize, and integrate into an established (albeit reduced) oral flora.	(Fine, et al., 2001) (Schreiner, et al., 2003)
Recovery of microbe from animal and analysis of traits unique to its growth in that animal as compared to growth seen in laboratory cultures of same organism.	(Fine, et al., 2001) (Schreiner, et al., 2003)
Microbial attachment factors essential for colonization of animal tooth and tissue Can be analyzed	(Schreiner, et al., 2003) (Sharma, et al., 2001)
Microbial attachment and colonization can be related to antibody response and bone loss.	(Burckhardt & Guggenheim, 1980 (Schreiner, et al., 2003; Sharma, et al., 2001)
Analysis of effect of antagonistic or symbiotic organisms on growth and survival of test microbe	(Hillman, et al., 2000)
Potential and Future Uses of This Model
To investigate how mutants in known A.a virulence traits (i.e. leukotoxin, cytolethal distending toxin) effect colonization, antibody responses and bone loss.
To identify relationship between specific and non-specific adhesions on attachment and colonization.
To determine how different strains of A.a and other “pathogens” colonize in the rat feeding model.
To determine how different strains of rats are affected by A.a colonization; which strains are more susceptible to colonization; does colonization correlate to antibody response and bone loss.
To determine the immunopathological response in animals colonized by A.a in different rat species