Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2025
Using Luciferase to Image Bacterial Infections in Mice
Published on: February 18, 2011
Bioluminescence Imaging, a Powerful Tool to Assess Fungal Burden in Live Mouse Models of Infection
Agustin Resendiz-Sharpe1, Eliane Vanhoffelen1, Greetje Vande Velde2
1KU Leuven, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Biomedical MRI / MoSAIC, Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract:
Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans species infections are two of the most common life-threatening fungal infections in the immunocompromised population. Acute invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and meningeal cryptococcosis are the most severe forms affecting patients with elevated associated mortality rates despite current treatments. As many unanswered questions remain concerning these fungal infections, additional research is greatly needed not only in clinical scenarios but also under controlled preclinical experimental settings to increase our understanding concerning their virulence, host-pathogen interactions, infection development, and treatments. Preclinical animal models are powerful tools to gain more insight into some of these needs. However, assessment of disease severity and fungal burden in mouse models of infection are often limited to less sensitive, single-time, invasive, and variability-prone techniques such as colony-forming unit counting. These issues can be overcome by in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI). BLI is a noninvasive tool that provides longitudinal dynamic visual and quantitative information on the fungal burden from the onset of infection and potential dissemination to different organs throughout the development of disease in individual animals. Hereby, we describe an entire experimental pipeline from mouse infection to BLI acquisition and quantification, readily available to researchers to provide a noninvasive, longitudinal readout of fungal burden and dissemination throughout the course of infection development, which can be applied for preclinical studies into pathophysiology and treatment of IPA and cryptococcosis in vivo.
Insights
This study introduces a noninvasive bioluminescence imaging (BLI) method for tracking fungal infections like invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and cryptococcosis in mice. This technique offers a better way to study disease progression and test new treatments in preclinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Biomedical Imaging
Background:
- Life-threatening fungal infections caused by Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans significantly impact immunocompromised individuals.
- Severe forms, including invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and meningeal cryptococcosis, have high mortality rates despite current therapies.
- Existing methods for assessing fungal burden in mouse models are often invasive and lack sensitivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a comprehensive experimental pipeline for noninvasive, longitudinal assessment of fungal infections in vivo.
- To overcome limitations of traditional methods for quantifying fungal burden and dissemination in preclinical models.
- To facilitate research into the pathophysiology and treatment of invasive fungal infections.
Main Methods:
- Development of an experimental pipeline for mouse infection with bioluminescent strains of Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans.
- Utilization of in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) for noninvasive, longitudinal monitoring of fungal burden.
- Quantification of fungal dissemination and disease progression throughout the infection course in individual animals.
Main Results:
- The described pipeline enables noninvasive, dynamic visualization and quantification of fungal burden.
- BLI provides longitudinal data on infection development and dissemination in mouse models.
- This method overcomes the limitations of conventional, less sensitive techniques like colony-forming unit counting.
Conclusions:
- In vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) offers a powerful, noninvasive tool for studying fungal infections in preclinical models.
- The established pipeline provides researchers with a readily available method for longitudinal assessment of fungal burden and dissemination.
- This approach can significantly advance the understanding and treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and cryptococcosis.
