{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T05:10:31Z","timestamp":1778735431647,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778716800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    The study of host-pathogen interactions in animal infection models has clarified mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity and supported the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies. Although many virulence factors have been identified\n                    <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                    using mammals such as mice and rats, this work requires large numbers of animals. Over the past two decades, insect-based alternatives have gained popularity due to ethical and practical advantages. This study evaluated\n                    <jats:italic>Galleria mellonella<\/jats:italic>\n                    larvae as an alternative\n                    <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                    model for investigating microbial pathogenicity, focusing on\n                    <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus<\/jats:italic>\n                    and its conserved toxin alpha-haemolysin (Hla). Larvae were injected with purified Hla or infected with bacteria, and survival, clinical scores, and bacterial burden were monitored. Results showed that larvae are susceptible to Hla-mediated toxicity, whether the toxin is administered directly or produced during infection. Notably, pre-treatment with a human anti-Hla monoclonal antibody protected larvae from toxin-induced disease and staphylococcal infection, similarly to what is reported in more extensively studied mammal models. These findings support\n                    <jats:italic>Galleria mellonella<\/jats:italic>\n                    as a cost-effective, ethical model for studying pathogenicity, characterizing virulence factors, and evaluating targeted treatments such as monoclonal antibodies. When combined with high-throughput\n                    <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                    assays, this approach may accelerate the discovery of new therapeutic and preventive interventions while reducing reliance on mammalian models.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1809973","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T04:28:23Z","timestamp":1778732903000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Galleria mellonella model recapitulates Staphylococcus aureus hemolysin toxicity and antibody-mediated mechanisms of protection"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Edoardo","family":"Cherubini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"GSK","place":["Siena, Italy"]},{"name":"Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata","place":["Rome, Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrea Paola","family":"Mandelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GSK","place":["Siena, Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lucia","family":"Henrici De Angelis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata","place":["Rome, Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michela","family":"Brazzoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GSK","place":["Siena, Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marco Maria","family":"D\u2019Andrea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata","place":["Rome, Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fabio","family":"Bagnoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GSK","place":["Siena, Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Silvia","family":"Rossi Paccani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GSK","place":["Siena, Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Emiliano","family":"Chiarot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GSK","place":["Siena, Italy"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"783","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cell.2006.02.015","article-title":"Pathogen recognition and innate immunity.","volume":"124","author":"Akira","year":"2006","journal-title":"Cell"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9206","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-65859-4","article-title":"The monoclonal antibody Ca37, developed against Candida albicans alcohol dehydrogenase, inhibits the yeast in vitro and in vivo.","volume":"10","author":"Antoran","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci. 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