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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Modeling Tuberculosis in Mycobacterium marinum Infected Adult Zebrafish
Published on: October 8, 2018
Mycobacterium marinum infection drives foam cell differentiation in zebrafish infection models
Matt D Johansen1, Joshua A Kasparian1, Elinor Hortle2
1Tuberculosis Research Program, Centenary Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW, Australia.
Abstract:
Host lipid metabolism is an important target for subversion by pathogenic mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The appearance of foam cells within the granuloma are well-characterised effects of chronic tuberculosis. The zebrafish-Mycobacterium marinum infection model recapitulates many aspects of human-M. tuberculosis infection and is used as a model to investigate the structural components of the mycobacterial granuloma. Here, we demonstrate that the zebrafish-M. marinum granuloma contains foam cells and that the transdifferentiation of macrophages into foam cells is driven by the mycobacterial ESX1 pathogenicity locus. This report demonstrates conservation of an important aspect of mycobacterial infection across species.
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