2014/06/27 by Mark R. Cronan, David M. Tobin · 2 citations
Medicine · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Immunology and Microbiology · #Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology #Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications #Immune responses and vaccinations
paper · pdf · doi:10.1242/dmm.016089
openalex publication_date 2014/06/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Despite efforts to generate new vaccines and antibiotics for tuberculosis, the disease remains a public health problem worldwide. The zebrafish Danio rerio has emerged as a useful model to investigate mycobacterial pathogenesis and treatment. Infection of zebrafish with Mycobacterium marinum, the closest relative of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, recapitulates many aspects of human tuberculosis. The zebrafish model affords optical transparency, abundant genetic tools and in vivo imaging of the progression of infection. Here, we review how the zebrafish-M. marinum system has been deployed to make novel observations about the role of innate immunity, the tuberculous granuloma, and crucial host and bacterial genes. Finally, we assess how these findings relate to human disease and provide a framework for novel strategies to treat tuberculosis.