Exploring the concordance of Aspergillus fumigatus pathogenicity in mice and Toll-deficient flies

The pathogenicity of six mutants of Aspergillus fumigatus that had been previously characterized in mice was assessed in Toll-deficient Drosophila melanogaster flies. Four out of six mutants of A. fumigatus, which displayed attenuated virulence in mice due to defects in siderophore biosynthesis (Delta sidA, Delta sidD), PABA metabolism (H515), and starvation stress response (Delta cpcA), also had attenuated virulence in the fly model. In addition, similarly to previous findings in the mouse model, Delta sidG mutant that is defective in extracellular siderophore biosynthesis retained full virulence in Toll-deficient flies. Overall, our studies reveal a high level of concordance between fly and murine models of invasive aspergillosis.