Abstract
The use of non‐human animal models for infection experiments is important for investigating the infectious processes of human pathogenic bacteria at the molecular level. Mammals, such as mice and rabbits, are also utilized as animal infection models, but large numbers of animals are needed for these experiments, which is costly, and fraught with ethical issues. Various non‐mammalian animal infection models have been used to investigate the molecular mechanisms of various human pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This review discusses the desirable characteristics of non‐mammalian infection models and describes recent non‐mammalian infection models that utilize Caenorhabditis elegans, silkworm, fruit fly, zebrafish, two‐spotted cricket, hornworm, and waxworm.
Highlights
The use of non‐human animal models for infection experiments is important for investigating the infectious processes of human pathogenic bacteria at the molecular level
In 2002, we found that various human pathogenic bacteria, including S. aureus, kill silkworms (Figure 1).[4]
We revealed that the sensitivity of two‐spotted crickets to S. aureus and P. aeruginosa is not different between 27°C and 37°C, whereas the sensitivity of two‐spotted crickets to Listeria monocytogenes is greater at 37°C than at 27°C.12
Summary
The use of non‐human animal models for infection experiments is important for investigating the infectious processes of human pathogenic bacteria at the molecular level. A specific amount of bacterial solution is injected into a specific part of the animal body. The characteristics of non‐mammals used as infection models of human pathogenic bacteria are described below.
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