Drosophila as a Model for Understanding the Insect Host of Yersinia pestis.

With the limited availability of genomic sequence information and no established methods for genetic knockdowns or the creation of transgenic fleas and flea cell lines, we have adopted Drosophila melanogaster as a model for the study of the insect life cycle of Yersinia pestis. Infection of Drosophila larvae can be used to model early colonization of fleas, while the established embryonic cell lines can be used to model insect-pathogen interactions that underlie the unique capacity of Y. pestis to colonize the gut of its flea host.