Mouse Models of Mucormycosis.

Abstract

Animal models have been crucial in understanding the pathogenesis and developing novel therapeutic approaches for fungal infections in general. This is especially true for mucormycosis, which has a low incidence but is often fatal or debilitating. Mucormycoses are caused by different species, via different routes of infections, and in patients differing in their underlying diseases and risk factors. Consequently, clinically relevant animal models use different types of immunosuppression and infection routes.This chapter describes how to induce different types of immunosuppression (high dose corticosteroids and induction of leukopenia, respectively) or diabetic ketoacidosis as underlying risk factors for mucormycosis. Furthermore, it provides details on how to perform intranasal application to establish pulmonary infection. Finally, some clinical parameters that can be used for developing scoring systems and define humane endpoints in mice are discussed.