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Direct Visualization of Fungal Burden in Filamentous Fungus-Infected Silkworms

Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228855
  • Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are difficult to diagnose and to treat and, despite several available antifungal drugs, cause high mortality rates. In the past decades, the incidence of IFIs has continuously increased. More recently, SARS-CoV-2-associated lethal IFIs have been reported worldwide in critically ill patients. Combating IFIs requires a more profound understanding of fungal pathogenicity to facilitate the development of novel antifungal strategies. Animal models are indispensable for studying fungal infections and to develop newInvasive fungal infections (IFIs) are difficult to diagnose and to treat and, despite several available antifungal drugs, cause high mortality rates. In the past decades, the incidence of IFIs has continuously increased. More recently, SARS-CoV-2-associated lethal IFIs have been reported worldwide in critically ill patients. Combating IFIs requires a more profound understanding of fungal pathogenicity to facilitate the development of novel antifungal strategies. Animal models are indispensable for studying fungal infections and to develop new antifungals. However, using mammalian animal models faces various hurdles including ethical issues and high costs, which makes large-scale infection experiments extremely challenging. To overcome these limitations, we optimized an invertebrate model and introduced a simple calcofluor white (CW) staining protocol to macroscopically and microscopically monitor disease progression in silkworms (Bombyx mori) infected with the human pathogenic filamentous fungi Aspergillus fumigatus and Lichtheimia corymbifera. This advanced silkworm A. fumigatus infection model could validate knockout mutants with either attenuated, strongly attenuated or unchanged virulence. Finally, CW staining allowed us to efficiently visualize antifungal treatment outcomes in infected silkworms. Conclusively, we here present a powerful animal model combined with a straightforward staining protocol to expedite large-scale in vivo research of fungal pathogenicity and to investigate novel antifungal candidates.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author: Yidong Yu, Ann-Katrin Wolf, Sina Thusek, Thorsten Heinekamp, Michael Bromley, Sven Krappmann, Ulrich Terpitz, Kerstin Voigt, Axel A. Brakhage, Andreas Beilhack
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228855
Document Type:Journal article
Faculties:Medizinische Fakultät / Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II
Fakultät für Biologie / Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften
Language:English
Parent Title (English):Journal of Fungi
ISSN:2309-608X
Year of Completion:2021
Volume:7
Issue:2
Article Number:136
Source:Journal of Fungi 2021, 7(2), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7020136
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7020136
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Tag:Aspergillus; Lichtheimia; calcofluor white staining; fungal infection model; silkworm
Release Date:2022/01/04
Date of first Publication:2021/02/13
Open-Access-Publikationsfonds / Förderzeitraum 2021
Licence (German):License LogoCC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International