Can passage in Galleria mellonella activate virulence factors of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis as in the murine model?

Med Mycol. 2018 Apr 1;56(3):374-377. doi: 10.1093/mmy/myx045.

Abstract

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a fungal disease restricted to Latin countries, and its etiologic agents derive from the Paracoccidioides genus. Attenuation or loss of virulence in Paracoccidioides spp. following successive subculturing has been described. However, virulence can be recovered by passage in mammalian host. In this study, the recovery of adhesion of P. brasiliensis through passage in mice was compared to that in the insect Galleria mellonella. Analysis of in vitro fungal-host cell interaction, gene expression of adhesins, and analysis of the survival curves revealed that Galleria mellonella is useful for the reactivation of P. brasiliensis adhesion.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adhesins, Bacterial / genetics
  • Adhesins, Bacterial / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation / physiology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Moths / microbiology*
  • Paracoccidioides / genetics
  • Paracoccidioides / pathogenicity*
  • Paracoccidioidomycosis / microbiology*
  • Paracoccidioidomycosis / mortality*
  • Paracoccidioidomycosis / pathology
  • Survival Rate
  • Virulence / genetics
  • Virulence Factors / genetics
  • Virulence Factors / metabolism*

Substances

  • Adhesins, Bacterial
  • Virulence Factors