Adult zebrafish model for pneumococcal pathogenesis

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a leading cause of community acquired pneumonia, septicemia, and meningitis. Due to incomplete understanding of the host and bacterial factors contributing to these diseases optimal treatment and prevention methods are lacking. In the present study we examined whether the adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) can be used to investigate the pathophysiology of pneumococcal diseases. Here we show that both intraperitoneal and intramuscular injections of the pneumococcal strain TIGR4 cause a fulminant, dose-dependent infection in adult zebrafish, while isogenic mutant bacteria lacking the polysaccharide capsule, autolysin, or pneumolysin are attenuated in the model. Infection through the intraperitoneal route is characterized by rapid expansion of pneumococci in the bloodstream, followed by penetration of the blood-brain barrier and progression to meningitis. Using Rag1 mutant zebrafish, which are devoid of somatic recombination and thus lack adaptive immune responses, we show that clearance of pneumococci in adult zebrafish depends mainly on innate immune responses. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that the adult zebrafish can be used as a model for a pneumococcal infection, and that it can be used to study both host and bacterial factors involved in the pathogenesis. However, our results do not support the use of the zebrafish in studies on the role of adaptive immunity in pneumococcal disease or in the development of new pneumococcal vaccines.