Polymicrobial sepsis models: CLP versus CASP

Sepsis is a disease syndrome covering many differentaspectsofthehostimmunesystem.Ourunderstandingof sepsis is still incomplete. Several animal models ofsepsis have been developed and much of our currentknowledge on the molecular basis of the disease hasoriginatedfromthesemodels.Twoofthemostreliableand clinically relevant rodent models to mimic humansepsis in the animal model are cecal ligation and punc-ture (CLP) and colon ascendens stent peritonitis(CASP).Section editor:SylviaKnapp–CenterforMolecularMedicineoftheAustrianAcademy of Sciences and Department of Medicine 1, MedicalUniversity Vienna, Vienna, AustriaIntroduction