Affiliation:
1. Kansas State University, Division of Biology, Manhattan, Kansas 66506
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Ehrlichia chaffeensis
is an obligate, intracellular bacterium, transmitted by the tick
Amblyomma americanum
, and is the causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis infections. We previously demonstrated that
E. chaffeensis
is capable of growing in
Drosophila
S2 cells. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that
E. chaffeensis
can infect adult
Drosophila melanogaster
. Adult
Drosophila
organisms were experimentally challenged with intra-abdominal injections of bacteria.
Ehrlichia
-infected flies showed decreased survival compared to wild-type flies, and bacteria isolated from flies could reinfect mammalian macrophages.
Ehrlichia
infections activated both the cellular and humoral immune responses in the fly. Hemocytes phagocytosed bacteria after injection, and antimicrobial peptide pathways were induced following infection. Increased pathogenicity in flies carrying mutations in genes in both the Toll and Imd pathways suggests that both immune defense pathways participate in host defense. Induction of
Drosophila
cellular and humoral responses and the in vivo replication of
E. chaffeensis
suggests that
D. melanogaster
is a suitable host for
E. chaffeensis
. In the future, it will be a useful tool to unlock some of the in vivo mysteries of this arthropod-borne bacterium.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Immunology,Microbiology,Parasitology
Cited by
10 articles.
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