The future of animal models of invasive aspergillosis

The diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis remains very difficult, coupled with limited treatment options. Animal models have been utilized to evaluate both the diagnosis and treatment of infection and to assess the pathogenicity and virulence of the organism. However, animal models have not been standardized and have been used in only a limited fashion for genomic evaluation in this disease. Extensive efforts are underway to expand significantly the Aspergillus genomic information. Thus, the standardization of animal models of invasive aspergillosis is critical to create a unified platform to enhance evaluation of newer genomic information and allow assessment of pathogenicity and virulence factors. Proposed models, supported by a recently awarded National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases contract, will be developed in close interaction with the extended Aspergillus community (including academia and industry) to answer key questions in this disease. The goal of this work is to provide the framework to evaluate genomic targets in animal models in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of invasive aspergillosis that will ultimately result in improved outcomes of patients with this frequently fatal infection.