Zebrafish Infection: From Pathogenesis to Cell Biology

The study of host-pathogen interactions has illuminated fundamental research avenues in both infection and cell biology. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae are genetically tractable, optically accessible, and present a fully functional innate immune system with macrophages and neutrophils that mimic their mammalian counterparts. A wide variety of pathogenic bacteria have been investigated using zebrafish models, providing unprecedented resolution of the cellular response to infection in vivo. In this review, we illustrate how zebrafish models have contributed to our understanding of cellular microbiology by providing an in vivo platform to study host-pathogen interactions from the single cell to whole animal level. We also highlight discoveries made from zebrafish infection that hold great promise for translation into novel therapies for humans.