Zebrafish Model for Leptospirosis Kidney Disease

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by exposure to pathogenic leptospires in contaminated water or soil. Invasion and colonization by leptospires may cause multiple organ failure, including severe kidney injury, in infected patients. However, the detailed mechanisms of the bacterial-host interaction are not fully understood. Experimental animal models such as hamsters and guinea pigs have been successfully used to study the pathogenesis of acute lethal leptospirosis, while mice and rats are usually asymptomatic after infection. In recent years, zebrafish have become a favorite model organism for various human diseases due to their transparency and the ease of genetic manipulation. Here we review the advantages of using zebrafish as a novel animal model to study the early pathogenesis of leptospiral infection.