By combining haematological parameters (leucocyte differentiation, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP)) with clinical parameters (body weight and body temperature) and bone integrity parameters (determined by X-ray, micro-computed tomography (CT) and histology) during a 6-week follow-up in rabbit osteomyelitic development, a broad-spectrum insight into the development of the infection status in individual subjects was acquired, using a minimal number of animals. The gene discussed is CRP; the disease is infection.