Zebra Fish Infection Model: From Pathogenesis to Therapeutics

Earlier, murine infection models were the preferred host for studying interaction between the host and the microbial pathogen. However, all pathogens do not infect mice and they do not always replicate human infections. Moreover, mammalian models are not very suitable for large scale screens due to high cost involved. Since Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are transparent in early development, genetically modifiable, and have functional innate immune system with neutrophils and macrophages similar to human counterparts, it has come to the forefront of biomedical research. This organism has been used to investigate wide varieties of viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens illuminating our understanding of disease pathogenesis and host–pathogen interactions. Due to recent technical advancements, zebrafish has become a preferred model for infectious diseases for studying mechanisms of pathogenesis, virulence factors, response of the host immune system, immune evasion, drug resistance, and potential therapeutic applications. This chapter will describe zebrafish as a model host system for infectious diseases along with several advantages of using it to understand immune response, host–pathogen interactions and their therapeutic potential.