ABSTRACT
CONTENTS 24.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 413 24.2 What Is a Suitable In Vivo Model of IA Pathogenesis? ......................................................... 414 24.3 Evolutionarily Conserved Innate Immunity Pathways Against Aspergillus in Insects ............ 415 24.4 Humoral Responses Against Aspergillus in Insects .............................................................. 415 24.5 Toll Pathway ........................................................................................................................... 415 24.6 Cellular Immunity Against Aspergillus in Insects ................................................................ 416 24.7 Invertebrate Models of IA ...................................................................................................... 416 24.8 Methods of Studying IA Using a Fly Model .......................................................................... 417 24.9 Infection Models of Aspergillosis in Drosophila .................................................................. 417
24.9.1 Methods of Screening of Candidate Compounds with Anti-Aspergillus Activity in Drosophila ............................................................................................. 420
24.9.2 Pilot Studies of Antifungal Drug Effi cacy in Drosophila Model of IA ................. 421 24.9.3 Virulence Testing of Aspergillus in Drosophila ..................................................... 421 24.9.4 Galleria mellonella ................................................................................................. 422
24.10 Virulence Studies in G. Mellonella and Other Invertebrate Models of Aspergillosis ............ 423 24.11 Future Perspectives ................................................................................................................ 423 24.12 Concluding Remarks ............................................................................................................. 424 24.13 Confl icts of Interest ................................................................................................................ 424 References ........................................................................................................................................... 424
24.1 Introduction In recent years, opportunistic fungi have emerged as leading causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals [1,2]. The epidemiology of invasive fungal infections has evolved over the past two decades, partially because of the widespread use of antifungal agents with good activity against Candida, such as fl uconazole. Since the early 1990s, ubiquitous airborne saprophytic molds have become the leading fungal pathogens in severely immunocompromised patients [1]. Aspergillus is the most common of these molds, and invasive aspergillosis (IA) has emerged as the major problem of modern mycology [2].
