Nonmammalian model systems to investigate fungal biofilms

Abstract

Medical advances have resulted in an increase in the number of patients in immunocompromised states, vulnerable to infection, or individuals fitted with medical devices that form niches for microbial infections. These infections are difficult to treat and have significant morbidity and mortality rates. An important factor in the pathogenesis of fungal diseases is the development of biofilm-forming communities, enabling the invasion of host tissues and resistance to antimicrobial compounds. To investigate the genetic requirements for filamentation and seek compounds that inhibit the process, invertebrate hosts are employed as models of in vivo infection. The purpose of our review is to highlight methods that can be utilized to investigate fungal filamentation, an important step in the development of biofilms, in the invertebrate hosts Galleria mellonella, Caenorhabditis elegans , and Drosophila melanogaster.