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Updated: Jul 23, 2025
Systemic Bacterial Infection and Immune Defense Phenotypes in Drosophila Melanogaster
Published on: May 13, 2015
Drosophila melanogaster as a model of systemic dermatophytosis
Bárbara da Costa1,2, Bruna Pippi2, Simone Merkel3
1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Background:
Dermatophytosis is one of the most common fungal infections worldwide. The distribution of dermatophytes varies across continents, but the genera Trichophyton and Microsporum have emerged as the main isolated agents in humans and animals.
Objectives:
To validate Drosophila melanogaster flies as a fast and feasible model to study dermatophytic infections.
Methods:
Wild-type (WT) and Toll-deficient D. melanogaster flies were infected by Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis and Nannizzia gypsea by pricking with a needle previously dipped in inoculum concentrations ranging from 103 to 108 colony-forming units/mL. Establishment of infection was confirmed by survival curves, histopathological analysis and fungal burden. Thereafter, flies were treated with terbinafine, itraconazole and clioquinol.
Results:
WT flies were predominantly resistant to the infection, whereas Toll-deficient flies succumbed to the four dermatophyte genera tested. The antifungal drugs protected flies from the infection, except for N. gypsea whose survival curves did not differ from the untreated group.
Conclusions:
This pilot study confirms that D. melanogaster is a suitable model to study the virulence and antifungal drug efficacy in dermatophyte species.
