title: Galleria mellonella as an alternative model of Coxiella burnetii infection.
abstract: Coxiella burnetii is a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium and is the causative agent of the zoonotic disease Q fever. Several rodent and non-human primate models of virulent phase I C. burnetii [Nine Mile (NM)I] have been developed, and have been used to determine the efficacy of antibiotics and vaccine candidates. However, there are several advantages to using insect models to study host-microbe interactions, such as reduced animal use, lowered cost and ease of manipulation in high containment. In addition, many laboratories use the avirulent phase II C. burnetii clone (NMII) to study cellular interactions and identify novel virulence determinants using genetic manipulation. We report that larvae of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, were susceptible to infection with both C. burnetii NMI and NMII. Following subcutaneous infection, we report that intracellular bacteria were present within haemocytes and that larval death occurred in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, we have used the model to characterize the role of the type 4 secretion system in C. burnetii NMII and to determine antibiotic efficacy in a non-mammalian model of disease.
authors.affiliation: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Norville
authors.affiliation: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hartley
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR5236 CPBS, Montpellier 34293, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR5236 CPBS, Montpellier 34293, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cantet
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR5236 CPBS, Montpellier 34293, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonazzi
authors.affiliation: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.|Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Atkins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D023421:Models, Animal; D011778:Q Fever; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors