Virulence of serotype M3 Group A<i>Streptococcus</i>strains in wax worms (<i>Galleria mellonella</i>larvae)

Olsen, Randall J.; Watkins, M. Ebru; Cantu, Concepcion; Beres, Stephen B.; Musser, James M.

doi:10.4161/viru.2.2.14338

Cited by 93 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Substantial advances in our knowledge about their genetics and immune responses have led to the increased use of insects as surrogate hosts. In particular, the larva of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella has recently been reported as an easy-to-use model organism for several pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (23,36). These studies demonstrated a good correlation between the G. mellonella and mammalian infection models (10,23,36).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…In addition to D. melanogaster, the larva of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella has become a widely adopted insect model to study a wide range of human pathogens including Listeria spp. (23), Streptococcus pyogenes (36), Campylobacter jejuni (10), Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (9), and several pathogenic fungi (17,33). G. mellonella larvae can be easily maintained and infected by injection without anesthesia and sustain incubation at 37°C (33).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Legionella pneumophila Pathogenesis in the Galleria mellonella Infection Model

et al. 2012

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bLegionella pneumophila is a facultative intracellular human pathogen and the etiological agent of severe pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. Its virulence depends on protein secretion systems, in particular, the Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS), which is essential to establish a replication-permissive vacuole in macrophages. The analysis of the role of these systems and their substrates for pathogenesis requires easy-to-use models which approximate human infection. We examined the effectiveness of the larvae of the wax moth Galleria mellonella as a new model for L. pneumophila infection. We found that the L. pneumophila strains 130b, Paris, and JR32 caused mortality of the G. mellonella larvae that was strain, infectious dose, growth phase, and T4SS dependent. Wild-type L. pneumophila persisted and replicated within the larvae, whereas T4SS mutants were rapidly cleared. L. pneumophila strain Lp02, which is attenuated in the absence of thymidine but has a functional T4SS, resisted clearance in G. mellonella up to 18 h postinfection without inducing mortality. Immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy revealed that L. pneumophila resided within insect hemocytes in a vacuole that ultrastructurally resembled the Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV) observed in macrophages. The vacuole was decorated with the T4SS effector and LCV marker SidC. Infection caused severe damage to the insect organs and triggered immune responses, including activation of the phenoloxidase cascade leading to melanization, nodule formation, and upregulation of antimicrobial peptides. Taken together, these results suggest that G. mellonella provides an effective model to investigate the interaction between L. pneumophila and the host.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

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confidence: 99%

Legionella pneumophila Pathogenesis in the Galleria mellonella Infection Model

et al. 2012

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“…21 In addition, it has been established as a surrogate model host for Listeria monocytogenes, the infective agent causing listeriosis, a major foodborne disease that occurs primarily in pregnant women, newborn infants and the elderly as well as in immune compromised patients, with a mortality rate of about 30%. 22 The potential of insect model hosts such as D. melanogaster and G. mellonella in applied medical research can be expanded beyond their established roles as whole-animal-high-throughput-systems for in vivo testing of human pathogens or antibiotics 10,13 to include their value as a source of novel anti-infective drugs.…”

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

confidence: 99%

Insects emerge as valuable model hosts to explore virulence

Vilcinskas¹

2011

Virulence

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“…2,3 These easy-to-use hosts have found widespread applications in research of both infectious (bacterial and fungal) [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and non-infectious Over recent years we have witnessed the emergence of several non-vertebrate mini-hosts as alternative pathosystems for the study of fungal disease. These heterologous organisms have unique advantages, as they are economical, ethically expedient and facile to use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%