As an Alternative Model to Analyze the Species Virulence

Overview

Journal Infect Drug Resist

Publisher Dove Medical Press

Date 2021 Jun 11

PMID 34113132

Citations 14

Authors

Nancy E Lozoya-Perez

Laura C Garcia-Carnero

Jose A Martinez-Alvarez

Ivan Martinez-Duncker

Hector M Mora-Montes

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Sporotrichosis is an increasing threat for humans, affecting mainly skin and subcutaneous tissues but that can cause disseminated infection in immunocompromised patients. , and are the main etiological agents of this mycosis, and each species show different virulence levels. The gold standard to assess fungal virulence is the mouse model that is expensive and time-consuming. Thus, invertebrate models have been reported as an alternative for the evaluation of fungal virulence. Here, we assessed whether larvae could be a new alternative to study spp. virulence.

Methods: larvae were inoculated with different doses of , and , and animal mortality, cytotoxicity, and immunological parameters were analyzed, including the ability to stimulate immunological priming.

Results: Mortality curves demonstrated that yeast-like cells were the best fungal morphology to kill larvae and showed a similar ranking in virulence than that reported in other animal models, ie, being and the species with the highest and lowest virulence, respectively. The usefulness of this model was validated with the analysis of several strains with different virulence degrees, and changes in cytotoxicity, humoral and cellular immunological parameters. Low-virulence strains stimulated low levels of cytotoxicity, phenoloxidase activity, and hemocyte countings, and these immunological cells poorly uptake fungi. Moreover, using recombinant Gp70 from immunological priming was stimulated in larvae and this protected against a lethal dose of fungal cells from any of the three species under study.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that larvae are an appropriate alternative invertebrate model to analyze the virulence of , and . Additionally, hemocyte levels, phenoloxidase activity, cytotoxicity, uptake by hemocytes, and immunological priming are biological parameters that can be used to study the interaction.

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