Journal
DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 38, Issue 3, Pages 447-455Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2012.07.007
Keywords
Zebrafish; Streptococcus agalactiae; Group B Streptococcus; GBS; Bacterial meningitis; Blood-brain barrier
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Funding
- Finnish Academy
- Emil Aaltonen Foundation
- Competitive Research Funding of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District
- Sigrid Juselius Foundation
- Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation
- Biocenter Finland
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Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) is the major cause of severe bacterial disease and meningitis in newborns. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has recently emerged as a valuable and powerful vertebrate model for the study of human streptococcal infections. In the present study we demonstrate that adult zebrafish are susceptible to GBS infection through the intraperitoneal and intramuscular routes of infection. Following intraperitoneal challenge with GBS, zebrafish developed a fulminant infection 24-48 h post-injection, with signs of pathogenesis including severe inflammation at the injection site and meningoencephalitis. Quantification of blood and brain bacterial load confirmed that GBS is capable of replicating in the zebrafish bloodstream and penetrating the blood-brain barrier, resulting in the induction of host inflammatory immune responses in the brain. Additionally, we show that GBS mutants previously described as avirulent in the mice model, have an impaired ability to cause meningitis in this new in vivo model. Taken together, our data demonstrates that adult zebrafish may be used as a bacterial meningitis model as a means for deciphering the pathogenesis and development of invasive GBS disease. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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