The authors thank Dr. Le Trinh and Dr. Tobin for generously providing the &#945;-catenin:citrine fish line and Bill Jackman for allowing us to do the filming in his lab. The authors acknowledge the funding sources National Institutes of Health (Grants 5P20RR016463, 8P20GM103423 and R15AI094406) and USDA (Project # ME0-H-1-00517-13). This manuscript is published as Main Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station publication number 3371.

NOTE: All zebrafish care protocols and experiments were performed in accordance with NIH guidelines under Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol A2012-11-03.
1. Zebrafish Rearing to 4 Days Post Fertilization
<ol>
	<li>Collect AB zebrafish, or any other transgenic lines, within the first 3 hr post fertilization, as shown in another video34.</li>
	<li>Incubate 120 eggs in a 15 cm Petri dishes containing 150 ml of E3 media (5 mM NaCl; 0.17 mM KCl; 0.33 mM CaCl2; 0.33 mM MgCl2; 2 mM HEPES; pH 6.8) with methylene blue (0.3 &#956;g/ml final concentration) in a 33 &#176;C incubator with 12/12 light/dark photoperiod.</li>
	<li>Replace the media after 6 hr with E3 + PTU (1-phenyl-2-thiourea, 10 &#956;g/ml final concentration) and remove the dead eggs.</li>
	<li>Incubate for 4 days at 33 &#176;C, exchanging the media with fresh E3 + PTU after 2 days.</li>
</ol>
2. Injection Micro-needle Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Pull borosilicate capillary (OD 1.2 mm; ID 0.69 mm) into a micro-needle using a needle puller with the following settings (550 Heat; 0 Pull; 130 Velocity; 110 Time). 
	NOTE: The settings will vary from filament to filament to obtain similarly shaped micro-needles (see Figure 1) and will need to be readjusted whenever a new filament is installed.</li>
	<li>Fill a micro-needle with 3 &#956;l of 0.4 &#956;m-filtered phosphate buffer saline (PBS; 137 mM NaCl; 2.7 mM KCl; 10 mM Na2HPO4; 1.8 mM KH2PO4; pH 7.4) using a 20 &#956;l microloader pipette tip.</li>
	<li>Set up the micro-needle on a micropipette holder on a micromanipulator attached to a pressure injection system. Set the injection pressure to 30 PSI and the pulse duration at 30 msec.</li>
	<li>Using a Petri dish with distilled water, lower the micro-needle until 1/5 of the needle is in the water. Clip the micro-needle with fine tweezers just below the water level. Bring the micro-needle out of the water and push the pedal several times until a bolus appears.</li>
	<li>Measure the diameter of the bolus by lowering the micro-needle on a hemocytometer layered with one drop of type A immersion oil. Adjust the pulse duration to obtain the desired volume (see Table 1).</li>
	<li>Set the backpressure for the bolus to remain stable in oil (lower the pressure if the bolus increases volume and increase the backpressure if the bolus volume decreases). Record the pulse duration for each micro-needle.</li>
	<li>Remove the PBS from the micro-needle by aspirating it using a microloader pipette tip and expel the left-over PBS by placing it back on the injector and flipping the continuous pulse switch. Reserve each micro-needle.</li>
</ol>
3. Candida Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Streak Candida albicans transformed with codon-optimized dTomato, GFP, BFP, EOS or Far Red from a frozen stock (-80 &#176;C stock in 25% glycerol) using a sterile wooden dowel onto a yeast peptine dextrose (YPD) agar plate (10 g/L yeast extract, 20 g/L peptone, 20 g/L dextrose, 20 g/L agar; autoclaved and poured 25 ml in Petri dishes) and incubate overnight at 30 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Pick one colony using a sterile wooden dowel and inoculate to 5 ml of YPD liquid (10 g/L yeast extract, 20 g/L peptone, 20 g/L dextrose, autoclaved and aseptically aliquotted in 5 ml in 16 x 150 mm glass culture tubes).</li>
	<li>Incubate overnight at 30 &#176;C in a roller drum at 60 rpm.</li>
	<li>Collect 1 ml of C. albicans culture and transfer into a 1.7 ml sterile centrifuge tube.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge at 5,000 x g for a couple of sec. Empty the supernatant and add 1 ml of sterile PBS, vortex thoroughly. Repeat this twice.</li>
	<li>Count the colonies using a hemocytometer by diluting the 1 ml stock 1:1,000 in sterile PBS.</li>
</ol>
4. Injecting Zebrafish in the Swimbladder
<ol>
	<li>Warm an injection dish (2% agarose) for 30 min in a 33 &#176;C incubator.</li>
	<li>At the desired time, remove 100 of the 150 ml of E3 + PTU from the 15 cm Petri dish containing the fish to inject using a 25 ml pipette without aspirating any zebrafish.</li>
	<li>Anesthetize 4 dpf zebrafish by adding 2 ml of a 4 mg/ml buffered tricaine methane sulfonate stock (TR) to the 50 ml media remaining (final concentration 200 &#956;g/ml) and wait for 15 min.</li>
	<li>Under a dissecting microscope, select fish with an inflated swimbladder. Fish can also be screened at that time for homogenous phenotype, such as neutrophil distribution in mpo:GFP line using an epifluorescence dissecting microscope.</li>
	<li>Dilute the C. albicans stock from its original concentration (step 3.8) to 1.5 x 107 colony forming units per ml (cfu/ml) in PBS.</li>
	<li>Transfer 30 zebrafish onto the injection dish using a plastic transfer pipette and remove the excess media.</li>
	<li>Using a fishing-wire tool (0.012 inch diameter fishing line super-glued into a borosilicate capillary), make 3 lines of 10 fish, by holding the injection dish vertically and orientate the fish vertically.</li>
	<li>Remove the excess media.</li>
	<li>Thoroughly vortex the tube with 1.5 x 107 cfu/ml C. albicans.</li>
	<li>Fill one micro-needle with 3 &#956;l of C. albicans using a new microloader pipette tip and set the pulse duration to the appropriate setting (see step 2.9).</li>
	<li>Rotate the injection dish to make an angle of 20&#176; between the micro-needle and the head of the fish, aiming toward the back of the swimbladder (Figure 3A).</li>
	<li>Push the micro-needle into the swimbladder, making sure the bore of the needle is in the lumen, and press the pedal once.</li>
	<li>Repeat for each fish and transfer to a recovery dish (25 ml E3 + PTU) by flooding the dish with E3 and emptying it into the recovery dish.</li>
	<li>Transfer another 30 fish to the injection dish.</li>
	<li>Repeat injection with a new micro-needle filled with thoroughly vortexed C. albicans.</li>
	<li>Finish by injecting the PBS control, if necessary, using a different injection dish to avoid contamination and transfer to a separate recovery dish (step 4.10).</li>
</ol>
5. Screening the Fish for Desired Inoculum
<ol>
	<li>Prepare 40 ml of 0.4% low-melt agarose solution (LMA) by adding 160 mg of low melt agarose to 40 ml of E3, boiling by microwaving until dissolved, and cooling to 37 &#176;C. Add 400 &#956;l of TR (final concentration 200 &#956;g/ml) once cooled.</li>
	<li>After 30 min recovery, anaesthetize the fish as described (step 4.3 using only 1 ml of TR into 25 mL E3 + PTU, final concentration 200 &#956;g/ml).</li>
	<li>Transfer 30 fish (with as little media as possible) to 2 ml of LMA in a weight boat.</li>
	<li>Aspirate individual fish with a transfer pipette and plate the fish with 1 drops of LMA into a 96-well imaging plate, using only the 10 x 6 central wells.</li>
	<li>Repeat until all the fish to screen are loaded to the imaging plate.</li>
	<li>Let the media solidify at room temperature for 5 min.</li>
	<li>Position the fish on their side, making sure they are in contact with the glass bottom.</li>
	<li>Using the 20X objective on an inverted epifluorescence/confocal microscope and the appropriate filter, record the number of C. albicans yeast cells in each fish&#8217;s swimbladder.</li>
	<li>Select the fish with 15-25 yeast cells in the swimbladder (or desired inoculum), euthanize non-selected fish (800 &#956;g/ml of TR in E3) and return selected fish to a deep Petri dish with 50 ml of E3 + PTU by adding 3 drops of E3 to the imaging plate selected wells and aspirating the fish with a plastic transfer pipette.</li>
	<li>Incubate at 33 &#176;C for the desired duration.</li>
</ol>
6. Imaging the Fish Post-screening
<ol>
	<li>At the desired time, remove 25 of the 50 ml of E3 + PTU media from the deep Petri dish containing the fish to image.</li>
	<li>Anaesthetize the fish as described (step 4.3 using only 1 ml of TR into 25 ml E3 + PTU remaining, final concentration 200 &#956;g/ml).</li>
	<li>Plate the fish into a 96-well imaging plate and position appropriately (steps 5.3 - 5.7).</li>
	<li>Image by scanning confocal microscopy using the appropriate lasers and emission filters. First focus on the fish using the 4X objective under differential interference contrast (DIC) and acquire images of the region of interest using the 20X objective with the confocal lasers in scanning mode with 2 &#956;sec/pixel speed and 1024 x 600 pixel aspect ratio. Acquire Z-stacks with 1 &#956;m step size, applying Kalman filter mode of 3 frames.</li>
	<li>Return to a deep Petri dish with 50 ml E3 + PTU or into individual wells (24-well culture dish, 3 ml E3 + PTU) and incubate at 33 &#176;C.</li>
</ol>
7. Dissecting the Swimbladder
<ol>
	<li>Fill a 10 ml syringe with high vacuum grease.</li>
	<li>Prepare a 2% LMA (step 5.3 with 160 mg of low melting agarose in 8 ml of E3).</li>
	<li>At the desired time, anaesthetize the fish (step 5.2).</li>
	<li>Transfer 10 fish to a 1.7 ml centrifuge tube with 1 ml of E3 and euthanize by adding 200 &#956;l of 4 mg/ml Tricaine (final concentration 800 &#956;g/ml) to the centrifuge tube and incubating for 15 min at room temperature.</li>
	<li>Prepare an imaging glass slide by placing 4 drops of vacuum grease in a square, 1 cm apart on a microslide (75 x 25 mm, Figure 2).</li>
	<li>Place 2 drops of 2% LMA in the middle of the square.</li>
	<li>Place one fish on a separate glass slide under a dissecting microscope and verify that the heart has stopped beating, remove the excess water.</li>
	<li>Using fine tweezers dissect the swimbladder by maintaining the head in a fixed position with the left tweezers and pulling down the anterior gut with the right tweezers (Figure 4A).</li>
	<li>Pick up the swimbladder by the pneumatic duct with the left tweezers, separating it from the digestive tract, and place it at the center of the 2% LMA before it solidifies.</li>
	<li>Place a cover-slip (18 x 18 mm) on top of the imaging glass slide and push it until it touches the vacuum grease as well as the LMA (Figure 2).</li>
	<li>Image within 10 min of dissection as described in step 6.4. Repeat step 7.7 - 7.11 with the other fish.</li>
</ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Advances and limitations of the swimbladder microinjection disease model
The model presented here is an extension of the mucosal candidiasis immersion model described in Gratacap et al. (2013); it adds the advantages of a controlled infection time, a highly reproducible infection dose, and therefore improved efficiency. We demonstrate here new methods that permit non-invasive temporal documentation of infection dynamics in great detail as well as higher resolution ex vivo imagin...

Mucosal infections can lead to life threatening bloodstream infections due to the damage of the epithelial barrier, which allows pathogens access to the systemic environment1,2. In addition, mucosal infections can also cause significant immunopathology even when contained externally3-5. The commensal unicellular fungus Candida albicans is present in the majority of the population in the oral cavity and other mucosal sites6-9. Although normally contained by innate and adaptive immune responses, innate immune defects and medical interventions can lead to severe mucosal candidiasis. The assault on the epithelial barrier results in an increased risk of life threatening disseminated disease as well as immunopathology, as in the case of vulvo-vaginal candidiasis, additionally C. albicans colonization has been linked with lung immune homeostasis10,11. Disseminated candidiasis is now the fourth most common bloodstream infection in intensive care units12 and mortality as high as 40% makes it a major concern. Due to the increase in immunomodulatory treatments for patients with autoimmune diseases, cancer or organ transplants, it is imperative to understand the interaction between this pathogen and the mucosal immune compartment.
The majority of cell biological advances regarding C. albicans-cell interactions at the mucosal level come from in vitro13-15 and murine models16-18. Both these approaches have distinct advantages, but the ability to image live cells at high resolution in an intact host has limited the temporal and spatial characterization of the infection. For these studies, there is the need for an in vivo model where the interaction of pathogen, innate immune and epithelial cells can be visualized in an intact vertebrate host.
The zebrafish has emerged as an invaluable tool for the understanding of human disease, mainly due to its transparency and amenability to genetic manipulation. Cell and organ development have been imaged in exquisite detail, which has led to the description of novel immune cell behaviors, such as T cell behavior in the developing thymus19 or the battle between intracellular mycobacteria and phagocytes20-22. Recent work has described intestinal microbe-host interactions in zebrafish and shown that microbial colonization of the intestinal tract affects host intestinal physiology and resistance to other infections23,24. Furthermore, infection through the gut epithelium has been described for several pathogens.
In contrast to the intestinal tract, the swimbladder represents a more isolated and complementary mucosal model. This organ is an extension of the developing gut tube and forms anteriorly to the liver and pancreas25,26. It produces surfactant, mucus and antimicrobial peptides27,28 and anatomically, as well as ontogenetically, this organ is considered a homologue of the mammalian lung29,30. Since the pneumatic duct remains connected to the gut in the zebrafish, this allows for immersion infection to occur naturally. Remarkably, the only known naturally occurring infections of fish with Candida species are C. albicans infections in the swimbladder31. We recently described an experimental immersion infection model where C. albicans infects the swimbladder, and found that this infection recapitulates some of the hallmarks of C. albicans-epithelial interaction in vitro32,33. 
In the method presented here, the original immersion infection model is improved by directly injecting C. albicans into the swimbladder of 4 days post fertilization (dpf) zebrafish. This allows for precise temporal control of infection as well as a highly reproducible inoculum. It permits detailed intravital imaging, coupled with the versatility of the zebrafish model. As an example of what can be done with this method, we present the spatio-temporal dynamics of C. albicans growth along with neutrophil recruitment to the site of infection. Because zebrafish swimbladder tissue is challenging to image intravitally, we also present a rapid swimbladder dissection technique that improves fluorescence signal and microscopic resolution. These methods expand the toolbox for fungal, immunological, and aquaculture research as well as describing a novel infection route that may be translated to model other fungal, bacterial or viral infections of mucosal surfaces.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="784">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:261px;">Name</td>
			<td style="width:259px;">Company</td>
			<td style="width:176px;">Catalog Number</td>
			<td style="width:88px;">Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">1.7 mL tubes</td>
			<td>Axygen</td>
			<td>MCT-175-C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Deep Petri dishes</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>89107-632</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Transfer pipettes</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>13-711-7M</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Yeast Extract</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>90000-726</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Peptone</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>90000-264</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Dextrose</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>D16-1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Agar</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>90000-760</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Fine tweezers (Dumont Dumoxel #5)</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>11251-30</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Wooden Dowels</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>10805-018</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Low Melt Agarose</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>12001-722</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Flaming Brown Micropipette Puller</td>
			<td>Sutter Instruments</td>
			<td>P-97</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Borosilicate capillary</td>
			<td>Sutter Instruments</td>
			<td>BF120-69-10</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">MPPI-3 Injection system</td>
			<td>Applied Scientific Instrumentation</td>
			<td>MPPI-3</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Back Pressure Unit</td>
			<td>Applied Scientific Instrumentation</td>
			<td>BPU</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Micropipette Holder kit</td>
			<td>Applied Scientific Instrumentation</td>
			<td>MPIP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Foot Switch</td>
			<td>Applied Scientific Instrumentation</td>
			<td>FSW</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Micromanipulator</td>
			<td>Applied Scientific Instrumentation</td>
			<td>MM33</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Magnetic Base</td>
			<td>Applied Scientific Instrumentation</td>
			<td>Magnetic Base</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Tricaine methane sulfonate</td>
			<td>Western Chemical Inc.</td>
			<td>MS-222</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Dissecting Scope</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td colspan="2">SZ61 top SZX-ILLB2-100 base</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Confocal Microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td colspan="2">IX-81 with FV-1000 laser scanning confocal system</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">20x microscope objective</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>UPlanSApo 20x/0.75</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Roller drum</td>
			<td>New Brunswick Scientific</td>
			<td>TC-7</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Microloader pipette tips</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>930001007</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Glass culture tubes (16 x 150 mm)</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>60825-435</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">NaCl</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>BDH4534-500GP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">KCl</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>BDH4532-500GP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">MgSO4</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>BDH0246-500GP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">HEPES (Corning)</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>BDH4520-500GP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Children clay (Play-Doh)</td>
			<td>Hasbro</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CaCl2</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>C69-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Methylene Blue</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>VW6276-0</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">PTU</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P7629-10G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Petri dishes</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>FB0875712</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Hemocytometer (Hausser scientific)</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>15170-172</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Type A immersion oil</td>
			<td>Blue Marble Products</td>
			<td>51935</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Centrifuge</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>5424</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Vortex Genie</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>14216-184</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Agarose (Lonza)</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>12001-870</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Na2HPO4</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S374-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">KH2PO4</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>P285-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Fishing wire</td>
			<td>Stren</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">96 well imaging plate (Sensoplate)</td>
			<td>Greiner Bio-One</td>
			<td>655892</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">High vacuum grease (Dow Corning)</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>59344-055</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Microslide (25 x 75 mm)</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>48300-025</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Cover slips (18 x 18 mm), No 1.5</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>48366-045</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">15 cm Petri dish (Olympus plastics)</td>
			<td>Genesee Scientific</td>
			<td>32-106</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Glycerol (EMD chemicals)</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>EMGX0185-5</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">24-well culture dish (Olympus plastics)</td>
			<td>Genesee Scientific</td>
			<td>25-107</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Weight boats (8.9 cm)</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>89106-766</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

modeling mucosal candidiasis in larval zebrafish by swimbladder injection

Early defense against mucosal pathogens consists of both an epithelial barrier and innate immune cells. The immunocompetency of both, and their intercommunication, are paramount for the protection against infections. The interactions of epithelial and innate immune cells with a pathogen are best investigated in vivo, where complex behavior unfolds over time and space. However, existing models do not allow for easy spatio-temporal imaging of the battle with pathogens at the mucosal level.
The model developed here creates a mucosal infection by direct injection of the fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, into the swimbladder of juvenile zebrafish. The resulting infection enables high-resolution imaging of epithelial and innate immune cell behavior throughout the development of mucosal disease. The versatility of this method allows for interrogation of the host to probe the detailed sequence of immune events leading to phagocyte recruitment and to examine the roles of particular cell types and molecular pathways in protection. In addition, the behavior of the pathogen as a function of immune attack can be imaged simultaneously by using fluorescent protein-expressing C. albicans. Increased spatial resolution of the host-pathogen interaction is also possible using the described rapid swimbladder dissection technique.
The mucosal infection model described here is straightforward and highly reproducible, making it a valuable tool for the study of mucosal candidiasis. This system may also be broadly translatable to other mucosal pathogens such as mycobacterial, bacterial or viral microbes that normally infect through epithelial surfaces.

Microinjection in the posterior swimbladder
The experimental method presented here describes the injection of a consistent dose of C. albicans yeast cells in the swimbladder of 4 dpf zebrafish. Previous work with the immersion model suggests that the swimbladder immune response to C. albicans is similar to mammalian mucosal candidiasis32. Here we demonstrate a modified infection method that is more straightforward, reproducible and rapid; several hundreds of zebrafish...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Modeling Mucosal Candidiasis in Larval Zebrafish by Swimbladder Injection at JoVE.com

Modeling Mucosal Candidiasis in Larval Zebrafish by Swimbladder Injection

In vivo spatio-temporal interactions of pathogen and immune defenses at the mucosal level are not easily imaged in existing vertebrate hosts. The method presented here describes a versatile platform to study mucosal candidiasis in live vertebrates using the swimbladder of the juvenile zebrafish as an infection site.

Early defense against mucosal pathogens consists of both an epithelial barrier and innate immune cells. The immunocompetency of both, and their ...

modeling-mucosal-candidiasis-larval-zebrafish-swimbladder

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

10.1K Views.  University of Maine. In vivo spatio-temporal interactions of pathogen and immune defenses at the mucosal level are not easily imaged in existing vertebrate hosts. The method presented here describes a versatile platform to study mucosal candidiasis in live vertebrates using the swimbladder of the juvenile zebrafish as an infection site.

Video: Modeling Mucosal Candidiasis in Larval Zebrafish by Swimbladder Injection

Non-invasive Imaging of Disseminated Candidiasis in Zebrafish Larvae

Disseminated candidiasis caused by the pathogen Candida albicans is a clinically important problem in hospitalized individuals and is associated with a 30 to 40% attributable mortality6. Systemic candidiasis is normally controlled by innate immunity, and individuals with genetic defects in innate immune cell components such as phagocyte NADPH oxidase are more susceptible to candidemia7-9. Very little is known about the dynamics of C. albicans interaction with innate immune cells in vivo. Extensive in vitro studies have established that outside of the host C. albicans germinates inside of macrophages, and is quickly destroyed by neutrophils10-14. In vitro studies, though useful, cannot recapitulate the complex in vivo environment, which includes time-dependent dynamics of cytokine levels, extracellular matrix attachments, and intercellular contacts10, 15-18. To probe the contribution of these factors in host-pathogen interaction, it is critical to find a model organism to visualize these aspects of infection non-invasively in a live intact host. 
The zebrafish larva offers a unique and versatile vertebrate host for the study of infection. For the first 30 days of development zebrafish larvae have only innate immune defenses2, 19-21, simplifying the study of diseases such as disseminated candidiasis that are highly dependent on innate immunity. The small size and transparency of zebrafish larvae enable imaging of infection dynamics at the cellular level for both host and pathogen. Transgenic larvae with fluorescing innate immune cells can be used to identify specific cells types involved in infection22-24. Modified anti-sense oligonucleotides (Morpholinos) can be used to knock down various immune components such as phagocyte NADPH oxidase and study the changes in response to fungal infection5. In addition to the ethical and practical advantages of using a small lower vertebrate, the zebrafish larvae offers the unique possibility to image the pitched battle between pathogen and host both intravitally and in color. 
The zebrafish has been used to model infection for a number of human pathogenic bacteria, and has been instrumental in major advances in our understanding of mycobacterial infection3, 25. However, only recently have much larger pathogens such as fungi been used to infect larva5, 23, 26, and to date there has not been a detailed visual description of the infection methodology. Here we present our techniques for hindbrain ventricle microinjection of prim25 zebrafish, including our modifications to previous protocols. Our findings using the larval zebrafish model for fungal infection diverge from in vitro studies and reinforce the need to examine the host-pathogen interaction in the complex environment of the host rather than the simplified system of the Petri dish5.

The rapid development, small size and transparency of zebrafish are tremendous advantages for the study of innate immune control of infection1-4. Here we demonstrate techniques for infecting zebrafish larvae using the fungal pathogen Candida albicans by microinjection, methodology recently used to implicate phagocyte NADPH oxidase activity in control of fungal dimorphism5.

Disseminated candidiasis caused by the pathogen Candida albicans is a clinically important problem in hospitalized individuals and is associated with a 30 ...

In vitro Coculture Assay to Assess Pathogen Induced Neutrophil Trans-epithelial Migration

Mucosal surfaces serve as protective barriers against pathogenic organisms.&#160;Innate immune responses are activated upon sensing pathogen leading to the infiltration of tissues with migrating inflammatory cells, primarily neutrophils.&#160;This process has the potential to be destructive to tissues if excessive or held in an unresolved state.&#160; Cocultured in vitro models can be utilized to study the unique molecular mechanisms involved in pathogen induced neutrophil trans-epithelial migration.&#160;This type of model provides versatility in experimental design with opportunity for controlled manipulation of the pathogen, epithelial barrier, or neutrophil.&#160;Pathogenic infection of the apical surface of polarized epithelial monolayers grown on permeable transwell filters instigates physiologically relevant basolateral to apical trans-epithelial migration of neutrophils applied to the basolateral surface.&#160;The in vitro model described herein demonstrates the multiple steps necessary for demonstrating neutrophil migration across a polarized lung epithelial monolayer that has been infected with pathogenic P. aeruginosa (PAO1).&#160;Seeding and culturing of permeable transwells with human derived lung epithelial cells is described, along with isolation of neutrophils from whole human blood and culturing of PAO1 and nonpathogenic K12 E. coli (MC1000).&#160; The emigrational process and quantitative analysis of successfully migrated neutrophils that have been mobilized in response to pathogenic infection is shown with representative data, including positive and negative controls.&#160;This in vitro model system can be manipulated and applied to other mucosal surfaces.&#160;Inflammatory responses that involve excessive neutrophil infiltration can be destructive to host tissues and can occur in the absence of pathogenic infections.&#160;A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that promote neutrophil trans-epithelial migration through experimental manipulation of the in vitro coculture assay system described herein has significant potential to identify novel therapeutic targets for a range of mucosal infectious as well as inflammatory diseases.

In vitro Coculture Assay to Assess Pathogen Induced Neutrophil Trans-epithelial Migration

Neutrophil trans-epithelial migration in response to mucosal bacterial infection contributes to epithelial injury and clinical disease.&#160;An in vitro model has been developed that combines pathogen, human neutrophils, and polarized human epithelial cell layers grown on transwell filters to facilitate investigations towards unraveling the molecular mechanisms orchestrating this phenomenon.

Mucosal surfaces serve as protective barriers against pathogenic organisms.&#160;Innate immune responses are activated upon sensing pathogen leading to ...

Non-invasive Imaging of the Innate Immune Response in a Zebrafish Larval Model of Streptococcus iniae Infection

The aquatic pathogen, Streptococcus iniae, is responsible for over 100 million dollars in annual losses for the aquaculture industry and is capable of causing systemic disease in both fish and humans. A better understanding of S. iniae disease pathogenesis requires an appropriate model system. The genetic tractability and the optical transparency of the early developmental stages of zebrafish allow for the generation and non-invasive imaging of transgenic lines with fluorescently tagged immune cells. The adaptive immune system is not fully functional until several weeks post fertilization, but zebrafish larvae have a conserved vertebrate innate immune system with both neutrophils and macrophages. Thus, the generation of a larval infection model allows the study of the specific contribution of innate immunity in controlling S. iniae infection.
The site of microinjection will determine whether an infection is systemic or initially localized. Here, we present our protocols for otic vesicle injection of zebrafish aged 2-3 days post fertilization as well as our techniques for fluorescent confocal imaging of infection. A localized infection site allows observation of initial microbe invasion, recruitment of host cells and dissemination of infection. Our findings using the zebrafish larval model of S. iniae infection indicate that zebrafish can be used to examine the differing contributions of host neutrophils and macrophages in localized bacterial infections. In addition, we describe how photolabeling of immune cells can be used to track individual host cell fate during the course of infection.

Non-invasive Imaging of the Innate Immune Response in a Zebrafish Larval Model of Streptococcus iniae Infection

Here, we present a protocol for the generation and imaging of a localized bacterial infection in the zebrafish otic vesicle.

The aquatic pathogen, Streptococcus iniae, is responsible for over 100 million dollars in annual losses for the aquaculture industry and is capable of ...

Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels

This protocol describes noninvasive sampling of undisturbed upper airway mucosal lining fluid. It also details the extraction procedure used prior to the analysis of immune mediators in fluid eluates for the study of the airway topical immune signature, without the need for stimulation procedures (often used by other techniques). The mucosal lining fluid is sampled on a strip of filter paper placed at the anterior part of the inferior turbinate and left for 2 min of absorption. Analytes are eluted from the filter papers, and the extracted protein-based eluates are analyzed by an electrochemiluminescence-based immunoassay, allowing for the high-sensitivity quantification of low- and high-level analytes in the same sample. We measured the in vivo levels of 20 preselected immune mediators related to specific immune signaling pathways in the upper airway mucosa, but the technique is not limited to that specific panel or sampling site. The technique was first implemented in 7-year-old children from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood2000 (COPSAC2000) cohort with allergic rhinitis. It was thereafter used in the longitudinal COPSAC2010 birth cohort, sampled at 1 month, 2 years, and 6 years of age and at instances of acute respiratory symptoms. We successfully obtained and analyzed samples from 620 (89%) of 700 1-month-old children; a few samples were below the assay detection limit (reported as the median (Inter-Quartile Range (IQR)). The number of samples below the detection limit (i.e.&#160;from 0 to the set point for the lower limit of detection) for each mediator was 29 (7.25 - 119.5). This technique enables the quantification of the in vivo airway mucosal immune profile from birth, can be applied longitudinally, and can be applied to studies on the effect of genetics and early-life environmental exposures, pathophysiology, endotyping, and monitoring of respiratory diseases, and development and evaluation of novel therapeutics.

Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels

This protocol describes a noninvasive technique for the sampling of undisturbed mucosal lining fluid from the upper airways. It can be used to perform the quantification of in vivo levels of protein mediators, such as cytokines and chemokines, in subjects of all ages.

This protocol describes noninvasive sampling of undisturbed upper airway mucosal lining fluid. It also details the extraction procedure used prior to the ...

Bile Salt-induced Biofilm Formation in Enteric Pathogens: Techniques for Identification and Quantification

Biofilm formation is a dynamic, multistage process that occurs in bacteria under harsh environmental conditions or times of stress. For enteric pathogens, a significant stress response is induced during gastrointestinal transit and upon bile exposure, a normal component of human digestion. To overcome the bactericidal effects of bile, many enteric pathogens form a biofilm hypothesized to permit survival when transiting through the small intestine. Here we present methodologies to define biofilm formation through solid-phase adherence assays as well as extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix detection and visualization. Furthermore, biofilm dispersion assessment is presented to mimic the analysis of events triggering release of bacteria during the infection process. Crystal violet staining is used to detect adherent bacteria in a high-throughput 96-well plate adherence assay. EPS production assessment is determined by two assays, namely microscopy staining of the EPS matrix and semi-quantitative analysis with a fluorescently-conjugated polysaccharide binding lectin. Finally, biofilm dispersion is measured through colony counts and plating. Positive data from multiple assays support the characterization of biofilms and can be utilized to identify bile salt-induced biofilm formation in other bacterial strains.

This protocol enables the reader to analyze bile salt-induced biofilm formation in enteric pathogens using a multifaceted approach to capture the dynamic nature of bacterial biofilms by assessing adherence, extracellular polymeric substance matrix formation, and dispersion.

Biofilm formation is a dynamic, multistage process that occurs in bacteria under harsh environmental conditions or times of stress. For enteric pathogens, ...

Modeling Tuberculosis in Mycobacterium marinum Infected Adult Zebrafish

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is currently the deadliest human pathogen causing 1.7 million deaths and 10.4 million infections every year. Exposure to this bacterium causes a wide disease spectrum in humans ranging from a sterilized infection to an actively progressing deadly disease. The most common form is the latent tuberculosis, which is asymptomatic, but has the potential to reactivate into a fulminant disease. Adult zebrafish and its natural pathogen Mycobacterium marinum have recently proven to be an applicable model to study the wide disease spectrum of tuberculosis. Importantly, spontaneous latency and reactivation as well as adaptive immune responses in the context of mycobacterial infection can be studied in this model. In this article, we describe methods for the experimental infection of adult zebrafish, the collection of internal organs for the extraction of nucleic acids for the measurement of mycobacterial loads and host immune responses by quantitative PCR. The in-house-developed, M. marinum-specific qPCR assay is more sensitive than the traditional plating methods as it also detects DNA from non-dividing, dormant or recently dead mycobacteria. As both DNA and RNA are extracted from the same individual, it is possible to study the relationships between the diseased state, and the host and pathogen gene-expression. The adult zebrafish model for tuberculosis thus presents itself as a highly applicable, non-mammalian in vivo system to study host-pathogen interactions.

Modeling Tuberculosis in Mycobacterium marinum Infected Adult Zebrafish

Here, we present a protocol to model human tuberculosis in an adult zebrafish using its natural pathogen Mycobacterium marinum. Extracted DNA and RNA from the internal organs of infected zebrafish can be used to reveal the total mycobacterial loads in the fish and the host&#39;s immune responses with qPCR.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is currently the deadliest human pathogen causing 1.7 million deaths and 10.4 million infections every year. Exposure to this ...

The Galleria mellonella Waxworm Infection Model for Disseminated Candidiasis

Candida species are common fungal commensals of humans colonizing the skin, mucosal surfaces, and gastrointestinal tract. Under certain conditions, Candida can overgrow their natural niches resulting in debilitating mucosal infections as well as life-threatening systemic infections, which are a major focus of investigation due to their associated high mortality rates. Animal models of disseminated infection exist for studying disease progression and dissecting the characteristics of Candida pathogenicity. Of these, the Galleria mellonella waxworm infection model provides a cost-effective experimental tool for high-throughput investigations of systemic virulence. Many other bacterial and eukaryotic infectious agents have been effectively studied in G. mellonella to understand pathogenicity, making it a widely accepted model system. Yet, variation in the method used to infect G. mellonella can alter phenotypic outcomes and complicate interpretation of the results. Here, we outline the benefits and drawbacks of the waxworm model to study systemic Candida pathogenesis and detail an approach to improve reproducibility. Our results highlight the range of mortality kinetics in G. mellonella and describe the variables which can modulate these kinetics. Ultimately, this method stands as an ethical, rapid, and cost-effective approach to study virulence in a model of disseminated candidiasis.

The Galleria mellonella Waxworm Infection Model for Disseminated Candidiasis

Galleria mellonella serves as an invertebrate model for disseminated candidiasis. Here, we detail the infection protocol and provide supporting data for the model&#39;s effectiveness.

Candida species are common fungal commensals of humans colonizing the skin, mucosal surfaces, and gastrointestinal tract. Under certain conditions, ...

Induction of Mouse Lung Injury by Endotracheal Injection of Bleomycin

Pulmonary fibrosis is a hallmark of several human lung diseases with a different etiology. Since current therapies are rather limited, mouse models continue to be an essential tool for developing new antifibrotic strategies. Here we provide an effective method to investigate in vivo antifibrotic activity of human mesenchymal stromal cells obtained from whole umbilical cord (hUC-MSC) in attenuating bleomycin-induced lung injury. C57BL/6 mice receive a single endotracheal injection of bleomycin (1.5 U/kg body weight) followed by a double infusion of hUC-MSC (2.5 x 105) into the tail vein, 24 h and 7 days after the bleomycin administration. Upon sacrifice at days 8, 14, or 21, inflammatory and fibrotic changes, collagen content, and hUC-MSC presence in explanted lung tissue are analyzed. The injection of bleomycin into the mouse&#160;trachea allows the direct targeting of the lungs, leading to extensive pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. The systemic administration of a double dose of hUC-MSC results in the early blunting of the bleomycin-induced lung injury. Intravenously infused hUC-MSC are transiently engrafted into the mouse lungs, where they exert their anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic activity. In conclusion, this protocol has been successfully applied for the preclinical testing of hUC-MSC in an experimental mouse model of human pulmonary fibrosis. However, this technique can be easily extended both to study the effect of different endotracheally administered substances on the pathophysiology of the lungs and to validate new anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic systemic therapies.

Here we present an effective method to investigate the antifibrotic activity of intravenously infused human mesenchymal stromal cells obtained from the whole umbilical cord following the induction of lung injury by an endotracheal injection of bleomycin in C57BL/6 mice. This protocol can be easily extended to the preclinical testing of other therapeutics.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a hallmark of several human lung diseases with a different etiology. Since current therapies are rather limited, mouse models ...

Targeting Drugs to Larval Zebrafish Macrophages by Injecting Drug-Loaded Liposomes

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae have developed into a popular model to investigate host-pathogen interactions and the contribution of innate immune cells to inflammatory disease due to their functionally conserved innate immune system. They are also widely used to examine how innate immune cells help guide developmental processes. By taking advantage of the optical transparency and genetic tractability of larval zebrafish, these studies often focus on live imaging approaches to functionally characterize fluorescently marked macrophages and neutrophils within intact animals. Due to their diverse functional heterogeneity and ever-expanding roles in disease pathogenesis, macrophages have received significant attention. In addition to genetic manipulations, chemical interventions are now routinely used to manipulate and examine macrophage behavior in larval zebrafish. Delivery of these drugs is typically limited to passive targeting of free drug through direct immersion or microinjection. These approaches rely on the assumption that any changes to macrophage behavior are the result of a direct effect of the drug on the macrophages themselves, and not a downstream consequence of a direct effect on another cell type. Here, we present our protocols for targeting drugs specifically to larval zebrafish macrophages by microinjecting drug-loaded fluorescent liposomes. We reveal that poloxamer 188-modified drug-loaded blue fluorescent liposomes are readily taken up by macrophages, and not by neutrophils. We also provide evidence that drugs delivered in this way can impact macrophage activity in a manner consistent with the mechanism of action of the drug. This technique will be of value to researchers wanting to ensure targeting of drugs to macrophages and when drugs are too toxic to be delivered by traditional methods like immersion.

Here, we describe the synthesis of drug-loaded liposomes and their microinjection into larval zebrafish for the purpose of targeting drug delivery to macrophage-lineage cells.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae have developed into a popular model to investigate host-pathogen interactions and the contribution of innate immune cells ...

Isolation of Tonsillar Mononuclear Cells to Study Ex Vivo Innate Immune Responses in a Human Mucosal Lymphoid Tissue

Studying isolated cells from mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT) allows understanding of immune cells response in pathologies involving mucosal immunity, because they can model host-pathogen interactions in the tissue. While isolated cells derived from tissues were the first cell culture model, their use has been neglected because tissue can be hard to obtain. In the present protocol, we explain how to easily process and culture tonsillar mononuclear cells (TMCs) from healthy human tonsils to study innate immune responses upon activation, mimicking viral infection in mucosal tissues. Isolation of TMCs from the tonsils is quick, because the tonsils barely have any epithelium and yield up to billions of all major immune cell types. This method allows detection of cytokine production using several techniques, including immunoassays, qPCR, microscopy, flow cytometry, etc., similar to the use of peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from blood. Furthermore, TMCs show a higher sensitivity to drug testing than PBMCs, which needs to be considered for future toxicity assays. Thus, ex vivo TMCs cultures are an easy and accessible mucosal model.

In the present protocol, we explain how to easily process and culture tonsillar mononuclear cells from healthy humans undergoing partial surgical tonsillectomy to study innate immune responses upon activation, mimicking viral infection in mucosal tissues.

Studying isolated cells from mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT) allows understanding of immune cells response in pathologies involving mucosal ...