Establishing the feasibility of Drosophila melanogaster as a model system for Acinetobacter baumannii infection
Authors: Parvin Shahrestani; Maria Soledad Ramirez; Melanie Garcia
Affiliation: California State University, Fullerton
Keywords: k. host/pathogen interactions; o. other (Antibiotic Resistant pathogen)
Acinetobacter baumannii is an antibiotic-resistant bacterium of public-health concern. Current model systems used to study A. baumannii infection are limited. My objective is to establish the feasibility of the common genetic model organism, the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), as an alternative for studying A. baumannii infection. Preliminary data revealed that D. melanogaster inoculated in the thorax with a pin-needle dipped in A. baumanni suspension had statistically lower survival than controls. Although, survival was still approximately 95%. Using a nanoinjector to apply higher infection doses resulted in further reductions in post-infection survival in a dose-specific manner. A strain of A. baumannii, AMA, thought to be more pathogenic in humans in comparison to the model strain A118 was seen to be more pathogenic against D. melanogaster. These results support the feasibility of using D. melanogaster to study this dangerous human pathogen. In upcoming work, we will distinguish between tolerance to and resistance against A. baumannii and test the impacts of antibiotics on post-infection host condition. Establishing D. melanogaster as a model to study A. baumannii infection will advance current understanding of antibiotic resistant mechanisms, immune defense evasion, as well as assist with drug development.