PUBLICATION

Quantifying Vibrio cholerae Colonization and Diarrhea in the Adult Zebrafish Model

Authors
Nag, D., Mitchell, K., Breen, P., Withey, J.H.
ID
ZDB-PUB-180731-9
Date
2018
Source
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE   (137): (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Zebrafish
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Vibrio cholerae/genetics*
  • Animals
  • Diarrhea/metabolism*
  • Humans
PubMed
30059022 Full text @ J. Vis. Exp.
Abstract
Vibrio cholerae is best known as the infectious agent that causes the human disease cholera. Outside the human host, V. cholerae primarily exists in the aquatic environment, where it interacts with a variety of higher aquatic species. Vertebrate fish are known to be an environmental host and are a potential V. cholerae reservoir in nature. Both V. cholerae and the teleost fish species Danio rerio, commonly known as zebrafish, originate from the Indian subcontinent, suggesting a long-standing interaction in aquatic environments. Zebrafish are an ideal model organism for studying many aspects of biology, including infectious diseases. Zebrafish can be easily and rapidly colonized by V. cholerae after exposure in water. Intestinal colonization by V. cholerae leads to the production of diarrhea and the excretion of replicated V. cholerae. These excreted bacteria can then go on to colonize new fish hosts. Here, we demonstrate how to assess V. cholerae-intestinal colonization in zebrafish and how to quantify V. cholerae-induced zebrafish diarrhea. The colonization model should be useful to researchers who are studying whether genes of interest may be important for host colonization and/or for environmental survival. The quantification of zebrafish diarrhea should be useful to researchers studying any intestinal pathogen who are interested in exploring zebrafish as a model system.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping