scholarly journals The greater wax moth Galleria mellonella: biology and use in immune studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Wojda ◽  
Bernard Staniec ◽  
Michał Sułek ◽  
Jakub Kordaczuk
Keyword(s):  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Insect Immunity ◽  
Adaptive Plasticity ◽  
Development Cycle ◽  
Short Development Cycle ◽  
Greater Wax Moth ◽  
Wax Moth

ABSTRACT The greater wax moth Galleria mellonella is an invertebrate that is increasingly being used in scientific research. Its ease of reproduction, numerous offspring, short development cycle, and finally, its known genome and immune-related transcriptome provide a convenient research model for investigation of insect immunity at biochemical and molecular levels. Galleria immunity, consisting of only innate mechanisms, shows adaptive plasticity, which has recently become the subject of intensive scientific research. This insect serves as a mini host in studies of the pathogenicity of microorganisms and in vivo tests of the effectiveness of single virulence factors as well as new antimicrobial compounds. Certainly, the Galleria mellonella species deserves our attention and appreciation for its contribution to the development of research on innate immune mechanisms. In this review article, we describe the biology of the greater wax moth, summarise the main advantages of using it as a model organism and present some of the main techniques facilitating work with this insect

scholarly journals Methods and Challenges of Using the Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) as a Model Organism in Antimicrobial Compound Discovery

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athina Andrea ◽  
Karen Krogfelt ◽  
Håvard Jenssen
Keyword(s):  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Liquid Volume ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Greater Wax Moth ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Mammalian Infection ◽  
Wax Moth

Among non-mammalian infection model organisms, the larvae of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella have seen increasing popularity in recent years. Unlike other invertebrate models, these larvae can be incubated at 37 °C and can be dosed relatively precisely. Despite the increasing number of publications describing the use of this model organism, there is a high variability with regard to how the model is produced in different laboratories, with respect to larva size, age, origin, storage, and rest periods, as well as dosing for infection and treatment. Here, we provide suggestions regarding how some of these factors can be approached, to facilitate the comparability of studies between different laboratories. We introduce a linear regression curve correlating the total larva weight to the liquid volume in order to estimate the in vivo concentration of pathogens and the administered drug concentration. Finally, we discuss several other aspects, including in vivo antibiotic stability in larvae, the infection doses for different pathogens and suggest guidelines for larvae selection.

scholarly journals Galleria mellonella as a Model System To Study Cryptococcus neoformans Pathogenesis

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 3842-3850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleftherios Mylonakis ◽  
Roberto Moreno ◽  
Joseph B. El Khoury ◽  
Alexander Idnurm ◽  
Joseph Heitman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Model System ◽  
Clinical Strain ◽  
Fungal Virulence ◽  
Host Immune Responses ◽  
Greater Wax Moth ◽  
Wax Moth

ABSTRACT Evaluation of Cryptococcus neoformans virulence in a number of nonmammalian hosts suggests that C. neoformans is a nonspecific pathogen. We used the killing of Galleria mellonella (the greater wax moth) caterpillar by C. neoformans to develop an invertebrate host model system that can be used to study cryptococcal virulence, host immune responses to infection, and the effects of antifungal compounds. All varieties of C. neoformans killed G. mellonella. After injection into the insect hemocoel, C. neoformans proliferated and, despite successful phagocytosis by host hemocytes, killed caterpillars both at 37°C and 30°C. The rate and extent of killing depended on the cryptococcal strain and the number of fungal cells injected. The sequenced C. neoformans clinical strain H99 was the most virulent of the strains tested and killed caterpillars with inocula as low as 20 CFU/caterpillar. Several C. neoformans genes previously shown to be involved in mammalian virulence (CAP59, GPA1, RAS1, and PKA1) also played a role in G. mellonella killing. Combination antifungal therapy (amphotericin B plus flucytosine) administered before or after inoculation was more effective than monotherapy in prolonging survival and in decreasing the tissue burden of cryptococci in the hemocoel. The G. mellonella-C. neoformans pathogenicity model may be a substitute for mammalian models of infection with C. neoformans and may facilitate the in vivo study of fungal virulence and efficacy of antifungal therapies.

scholarly journals Role of the intestinal microbiome in low-density polyethylene degradation by caterpillar larvae of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1922) ◽  
pp. 20200112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan J. Cassone ◽  
Harald C. Grove ◽  
Oluwadara Elebute ◽  
Sachi M. P. Villanueva ◽  
Christophe M. R. LeMoine
Keyword(s):  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Intestinal Microbiome ◽  
Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Greater Wax Moth ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
Biodegradation Process ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Wax Moth

Recently, a few insects, including the caterpillar larva of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella , have been identified as avid ‘plastivores’. These caterpillars are able to ingest and metabolize polyethylene at unprecedented rates. While it appears that G. mellonella plays an important role in the biodegradation process, the contribution of its intestinal microbiome remains poorly understood and contested. In a series of experiments, we present strong evidence of an intricate relationship between an intact microbiome, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) biodegradation and the production of glycol as a metabolic by-product. First, we biochemically confirmed that G. mellonella larvae consume and metabolize LDPE, as individual caterpillars fed on polyethylene excreted glycol, but those excretions were reduced by antibiotic treatment. Further, while the gut bacterial communities remained relatively stable regardless of diet, we showed that during the early phases of feeding on LDPE (24–72 h), caterpillars exhibited increased microbial abundance relative to those starved or fed on their natural honeycomb diet. Finally, by isolating and growing gut bacteria with polyethylene as their exclusive carbon source for over 1 year, we identified microorganisms in the genus Acinetobacter that appeared to be involved in this biodegradation process. Taken collectively, our study indicates that during short-term exposure, the intestinal microbiome of G. mellonella is intricately associated with polyethylene biodegradation in vivo .

scholarly journals Culture Degeneration Reduces Sex-Related Gene Expression, Alters Metabolite Production and Reduces Insect Pathogenic Response in Cordyceps militaris

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1559
Author(s):  
Peter A. D. Wellham ◽  
Abdul Hafeez ◽  
Andrej Gregori ◽  
Matthias Brock ◽  
Dong-Hyun Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolite ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Cordyceps Militaris ◽  
Insect Immunity ◽  
Pharmacological Activities ◽  
Metabolite Production ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Greater Wax Moth ◽  
Wax Moth

Cordyceps militaris is an entomopathogenic ascomycete, known primarily for infecting lepidopteran larval (caterpillars) and pupal hosts. Cordycepin, a secondary metabolite produced by this fungus has anti-inflammatory properties and other pharmacological activities. However, little is known about the biological role of this adenosine derivate and its stabilising compound pentostatin in the context of insect infection the life cycle of C. militaris. During repeated subcultivation under laboratory conditions a degeneration of C. militaris marked by decreasing levels of cordycepin production can occur. Here, using degenerated and parental control strains of an isolate of C. militaris, we found that lower cordycepin production coincides with the decline in the production of various other metabolites as well as the reduced expression of genes related to sexual development. Additionally, infection of Galleria mellonella (greater wax moth) caterpillars indicated that cordycepin inhibits the immune response in host haemocytes. Accordingly, the pathogenic response to the degenerated strain was reduced. These data indicate that there are simultaneous changes in sexual reproduction, secondary metabolite production, insect immunity and infection by C. militaris. This study may have implications for biological control of insect crop pests by fungi.

scholarly journals Standardization of G. mellonella Larvae to Provide Reliable and Reproducible Results in the Study of Fungal Pathogens

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Champion ◽  
Richard Titball ◽  
Steven Bates
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Development Cycle ◽  
Mammalian Infection ◽  
High Throughput Screens ◽  
Wax Moth

In the past decade, Galleria mellonella (wax moth) larvae have become widely used as a non-mammalian infection model. However, the full potential of this infection model has yet to be realised, limited by the variable quality of larvae used and the lack of standardised procedures. Here, we review larvae suitable for research, protocols for dosing larvae, and methods for scoring illness in larvae infected with fungal pathogens. The development of standardised protocols for carrying out our experimental work will allow high throughput screens to be developed, changing the way in which we evaluate panels of mutants and strains. It will also enable the in vivo screening of potential antimicrobials at an earlier stage in the research and development cycle.

scholarly journals Galleria mellonella as a novel eco-friendly in vivo approach for the assessment of the toxicity of medicinal plants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mbarga Manga Joseph Arsene ◽  
Podoprigora Irina Viktorovna ◽  
Anyutoulou Kitio Linda Davares
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Plant Materials ◽  
Greater Wax Moth ◽  
The Sacrifice ◽  
Invertebrate Models ◽  
Lethal Doses ◽  
Moringa Oleifera Lam ◽  
Wax Moth

The evaluation of medicinal plants toxicity is a prerequisite prior their usage. The vertebrate models used for this purpose are often the object of ethical consideration. Though invertebrate models including Galleria mellonella have shown their ability to be used to assess various products toxicity, to our knowledge, G. mellonella has never been exploited to determine the toxicity of medicinal plants. In this study, the toxicity of hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of seven (7) Cameroonian medicinal plants namely leaves of Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf, Moringa oleifera Lam and Vernonia amygdalina Delile; barks of Cinchona officinalis and Enantia chloranta Oliv; barks and seeds of Garcinia lucida Vesque and leaves and seeds of Azadirachta indica (Neem) were evaluated using the larval form of the Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella). The median lethal doses (LD50), 90% lethal doses (LD90) and 100% lethal doses were successfully determined using the spline cubic survival curves and equations from the data obtained on the survival rate of G. mellonella 24h after the injection with the extracts. The LD50 values varied from 3.90 g/kg bw to >166.67 g/kg bw and the pattern of toxicity observed was in accordance with previous investigations on the plant materials concerned. The results obtained in this study suggest that G. mellonella can be used as a sensitive, reliable, and robust eco-friendly model to gauge the toxicity of medicinal plants. Thus, avoid the sacrifice of vertebrate models often used for this purpose to limit ethical concerns.

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