Galleria mellonella as an experimental model for studying periodontopathogens

Abstract

In the present study, Galleria mellonella was evaluated as a potential infection model for periodontal bacteria, more specifically, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. All the bacteria evaluated were pathogenic to G. mellonella, causing their death in a concentration-dependent manner, and a decrease in their hemocyte count. Moreover, it was possible to recover the bacteria from the larvae hemolymph and determine the colony-forming units per larvae. G. mellonella is an effective model that may help to better understand the host-microbe interactions in periodontics.