The utilization of Blaptica dubia cockroaches as an in vivo model to test antibiotic efficacy

• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03486-3
• Publication Date: 2021-12-14T11:03:55Z
• Authors: Elliot Collins; Caleb Martin; Tyler Blomquist; Katherine Phillips; Stuart Cantlay; Nathan Fisher; Joseph Horzempa
• Keywords: Acinetobacter baumannii

Insects are now well recognized as biologically relevant alternative hosts for dozens of mammalian pathogens and they routinely used in microbial pathogenesis studies. Unfortunately, these models have yet to be incorporated into the drug development pipeline. The purpose this work was begin evaluate utility orange spotted (Blaptica dubia) cockroaches early antibiotic characterization. To determine whether model could exhibit mortality when infected with bacteria that pathogenic humans, we subjected B. dubia roaches a range infectious doses Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii identify medial lethal dose. These results showed disease did not develop following infection high S. A. baumannii. However, E. coli K. pneumoniae succumbed (LD50s 5.82 × 106 2.58 respectively) suggesting may limitations based on pathogen specificity. because were susceptible from bacterial strains subsequent characterization studies suggested β-lactam persistence dose associated reduction hemolymph burden. Moreover, our data indicated CFU directly due activity. Altogether, suggests orange-spotted cockroach provides an vivo setting which efficacy can evaluated.