Invertebrate animal models as tools to study fungal pathogenesis and treatment

The use of invertebrate model hosts to study infection has seen considerable growth over the last few years. Invertebrates such as Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and Galleria mellonella hold promise for the detailed study of host-pathogen interactions. In particular, these models facilitate the characterization of genes that contribute to virulence and thus could be used to identify virulence factors. Invertebrate model hosts also provide insight into the host innate immune response against pathogens. Screening for antifungal compounds using invertebrate model hosts is a low-cost and efficient screening process that can be used to identify a large number of novel compounds with potent antifungal effects.