Comparative analysis of the virulence of invertebrate and mammalian pathogenic bacteria in the oral insect infection model Galleria mellonella

Fedhila, Sinda; Buisson, Christophe; Dussurget, Olivier; Serror, Pascale; Glomski, Ian J.; Liehl, Peter; Lereclus, Didier; Nielsen-LeRoux, Christina

doi:10.1016/j.jip.2009.09.005

Cited by 79 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Amongst the human pathogens tested, B. cereus strains with Cry1C toxin were the most virulent for G. mellonella after oral infection 24 . This method can be used to monitor infection/colonization of the gastro intestinal tract.…”

Section: Representative Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Insect <em>Galleria mellonella</em> as a Powerful Infection Model to Investigate Bacterial Pathogenesis

Ramarao¹,

Nielsen-LeRoux²,

Lereclus³

2012

JoVE

248

233

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The study of bacterial virulence often requires a suitable animal model. Mammalian models of infection are costly and may raise ethical issues. The use of insects as infection models provides a valuable alternative. Compared to other non-vertebrate model hosts such as nematodes, insects have a relatively advanced system of antimicrobial defenses and are thus more likely to produce information relevant to the mammalian infection process. Like mammals, insects possess a complex innate immune system 1 . Cells in the hemolymph are capable of phagocytosing or encapsulating microbial invaders, and humoral responses include the inducible production of lysozyme and small antibacterial peptides 2,3 . In addition, analogies are found between the epithelial cells of insect larval midguts and intestinal cells of mammalian digestive systems. Finally, several basic components essential for the bacterial infection process such as cell adhesion, resistance to antimicrobial peptides, tissue degradation and adaptation to oxidative stress are likely to be important in both insects and mammals 1 . Thus, insects are polyvalent tools for the identification and characterization of microbial virulence factors involved in mammalian infections.Larvae of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella have been shown to provide a useful insight into the pathogenesis of a wide range of microbial infections including mammalian fungal (Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans) and bacterial pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Serratia marcescens Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes or Enterococcus faecalis [4][5][6][7] . Regardless of the bacterial species, results obtained with Galleria larvae infected by direct injection through the cuticle consistently correlate with those of similar mammalian studies: bacterial strains that are attenuated in mammalian models demonstrate lower virulence in Galleria, and strains causing severe human infections are also highly virulent in the Galleria model [8][9][10][11] . Oral infection of Galleria is much less used and additional compounds, like specific toxins, are needed to reach mortality.G. mellonella larvae present several technical advantages: they are relatively large (last instar larvae before pupation are about 2 cm long and weight 250 mg), thus enabling the injection of defined doses of bacteria; they can be reared at various temperatures (20 °C to 30 °C) and infection studies can be conducted between 15 °C to above 37 °C 12,13 , allowing experiments that mimic a mammalian environment. In addition, insect rearing is easy and relatively cheap. Infection of the larvae allows monitoring bacterial virulence by several means, including calculation of LD 50 14 , measurement of bacterial survival 15,16 and examination of the infection process 17 . Here, we describe the rearing of the insects, covering all life stages of G. mellonella. We provide a detailed protocol of infection by two routes of inoculation: oral and intra haemocoelic. The bacterial...

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Section: Representative Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Insect <em>Galleria mellonella</em> as a Powerful Infection Model to Investigate Bacterial Pathogenesis

Ramarao¹,

Nielsen-LeRoux²,

Lereclus³

2012

JoVE

248

233

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“…Enterococcus mundtii G2 was isolated from a long-term laboratory population of Galleria mellonella where insects were reared on a natural diet of honeycomb [43]. To cure E. mundtii G2 of its munditicin-encoding plasmid, a single colony was picked and grown in BHI broth at 42°C for 5 24-h serial passages.…”

Section: Bacterial Strains and Growth Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host and symbiont jointly control gut microbiota during complete metamorphosis

Johnston¹

2016

2016 International Congress of Entomology

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Holometabolous insects undergo a radical anatomical re-organisation during metamorphosis. This poses a developmental challenge: the host must replace the larval gut but at the same time retain symbiotic gut microbes and avoid infection by opportunistic pathogens. By manipulating host immunity and bacterial competitive ability, we study how the host Galleria mellonella and the symbiotic bacterium Enterococcus mundtii interact to manage the composition of the microbiota during metamorphosis. Disenabling one or both symbiotic partners alters the composition of the gut microbiota, which incurs fitness costs: adult hosts with a gut microbiota dominated by pathogens such as Serratia and Staphylococcus die early. Our results reveal an interaction that guarantees the safe passage of the symbiont through metamorphosis and benefits the resulting adult host. Host-symbiont "conspiracies" as described here are almost certainly widespread in holometobolous insects including many disease vectors.

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“…Inoculation through feeding has been reported as an infection method for G. mellonella. 7 In this method, the pathogen in mixed with pollen in a 1:1 ratio and placed in a dish that houses the G. mellonella larvae. The pathogen gains entry into the larvae through ingestion.…”

Section: O N O T D I S T R I B U T Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Methods for usingGalleria mellonellaas a model host to study fungal pathogenesis

Fuchs¹,

O'Brien²,

Khoury³

et al. 2010

Virulence

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237

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Comparative analysis of the virulence of invertebrate and mammalian pathogenic bacteria in the oral insect infection model Galleria mellonella

Cited by 79 publications

References 54 publications

The Insect <em>Galleria mellonella</em> as a Powerful Infection Model to Investigate Bacterial Pathogenesis

The Insect <em>Galleria mellonella</em> as a Powerful Infection Model to Investigate Bacterial Pathogenesis

Host and symbiont jointly control gut microbiota during complete metamorphosis

Methods for usingGalleria mellonellaas a model host to study fungal pathogenesis

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