title: Toll-deficient Drosophila is susceptible to Pythium insidiosum infection.
abstract: There is a paucity of animal models of pythiosis, a life-threatening disease of humans and animals, the immunopathogenesis of which is poorly understood. A pythiosis model was developed by injecting Toll (Tl)-deficient Drosophila melanogaster flies with Pythium insidiosum zoospores. The infected Tl mutant flies had significantly lower survival rates (73.7%) than did control flies. This study reveals the important role of Tl pathway activation in fly immune response to pythiosis.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Pharmacology, Federal University of Santa Maria, Avenida Roraima, 1000, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil; Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Régis A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Zanette
authors.forename: Janio M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Santurio
authors.forename: Érico S
authors.initials: ÉS
authors.lastname: Loreto
authors.forename: Sydney H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Dimitrios P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kontoyiannis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000276:immunology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D011775:Pythium / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000172:deficiency / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C068721:Tl protein, Drosophila; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
keywords: Toll receptors; mini-host models; pythiosis