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Chesnay A, Paget C, Heuzé-Vourc’h N, Baranek T, Desoubeaux G. Pneumocystis Pneumonia: Pitfalls and Hindrances to Establishing a Reliable Animal Model. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8020129. [PMID: 35205883 PMCID: PMC8877242 DOI: 10.3390/jof8020129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pneumocystis pneumonia is a severe lung infection that occurs primarily in largely immunocompromised patients. Few treatment options exist, and the mortality rate remains substantial. To develop new strategies in the fields of diagnosis and treatment, it appears to be critical to improve the scientific knowledge about the biology of the Pneumocystis agent and the course of the disease. In the absence of in vitro continuous culture system, in vivo animal studies represent a crucial cornerstone for addressing Pneumocystis pneumonia in laboratories. Here, we provide an overview of the animal models of Pneumocystis pneumonia that were reported in the literature over the last 60 years. Overall, this review highlights the great heterogeneity of the variables studied: the choice of the host species and its genetics, the different immunosuppressive regimens to render an animal susceptible, the experimental challenge, and the different validation methods of the model. With this work, the investigator will have the keys to choose pivotal experimental parameters and major technical features that are assumed to likely influence the results according to the question asked. As an example, we propose an animal model to explore the immune response during Pneumocystis pneumonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adélaïde Chesnay
- Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie-Médecine Tropicale, Pôle Biologie Médicale, Hôpital Bretonneau, CHRU de Tours, 2 Boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours, France;
- Centre d’Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires (CEPR), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1100, Université de Tours, 10 Bouelvard Tonnellé, 37032 Tours, France; (C.P.); (N.H.-V.); (T.B.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Christophe Paget
- Centre d’Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires (CEPR), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1100, Université de Tours, 10 Bouelvard Tonnellé, 37032 Tours, France; (C.P.); (N.H.-V.); (T.B.)
| | - Nathalie Heuzé-Vourc’h
- Centre d’Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires (CEPR), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1100, Université de Tours, 10 Bouelvard Tonnellé, 37032 Tours, France; (C.P.); (N.H.-V.); (T.B.)
| | - Thomas Baranek
- Centre d’Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires (CEPR), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1100, Université de Tours, 10 Bouelvard Tonnellé, 37032 Tours, France; (C.P.); (N.H.-V.); (T.B.)
| | - Guillaume Desoubeaux
- Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie-Médecine Tropicale, Pôle Biologie Médicale, Hôpital Bretonneau, CHRU de Tours, 2 Boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours, France;
- Centre d’Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires (CEPR), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1100, Université de Tours, 10 Bouelvard Tonnellé, 37032 Tours, France; (C.P.); (N.H.-V.); (T.B.)
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Dei-Cas E, Brun-Pascaud M, Bille-Hansen V, Allaert A, Aliouat EM. Animal models of pneumocystosis. FEMS IMMUNOLOGY AND MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY 1998; 22:163-8. [PMID: 9792075 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-695x.1998.tb01201.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
As in vitro culture systems allowing to isolate Pneumocystis samples from patients or other mammal hosts are still not available, animal models have critical importance in Pneumocystis research. The parasite was reported in numerous mammals but P. carinii pneumonia (PCP) experimental models were essentially developed by using rats, mice, rabbits and ferrets. The rat treated with corticosteroids for 9-12 weeks is a useful PCP model. Like laboratory rats, conventional mice develop PCP after prolonged corticosteroid administration. The ferret (Mustela putorius furo) also develop PCP under corticosteroid regime. Whilst bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is really difficult to perform on live laboratory rodents, serial BAL sampling can be performed on live ferrets. Rabbits currently develop spontaneous PCP at weaning without corticosteroid administration. For this reason this model has been used for studying the host immune response as well as Pneumocystis-surfactant interactions. Pigs and horses also develop spontaneous PCP. Treated with corticosteroids, piglets develop extensive PCP and could be used as a non-rodent model. Pneumocystis was detected in many non-human primates. Primates could represent a source of parasites taxonomically related to P. carinii sp. f. hominis. Moreover, primates might be used as experimental hosts to human Pneumocystis. A marked variability of parasite levels among corticosteroid-treated animals and the fact that the origin of the parasite strain remains unknown, are important drawbacks of the corticosteroid-treated models. For these reasons, inoculated animal models of PCP were developed. The intratracheal inoculation of lung homogenates containing viable parasites in corticosteroid-treated non-latently infected rats resulted in extensive, reproducible Pneumocystis infections. Extensive PCP can be obtained within 5-7 weeks, whilst 9-12 weeks are needed in the classical model. The severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mouse inoculated by nasal route and the athymic nude rats intratracheally inoculated were used to test the infectivity of Pneumocystis samples coming from cultures or from different hosts. They were also used to test the anti-Pneumocystis activity of antimicrobial molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Dei-Cas
- Faculty of Medicine and Regional University Hospital Centre, Lille, France.
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