Galleria mellonella Invertebrate Model Mirrors the Pathogenic Potential of Mycoplasma alligatoris within the Natural Host

Figure 7

Impact of M. alligatoris on G. mellonella survival and transition across life stages. (a) Survival curves of control and M. alligatoris infected G. mellonella were significantly different (, Kaplan–Meier and log-rank Mantel–Cox test). Differences in individual life stages were measured by percent larval mortality (b), pupation (c), or emergence (d). SP4-inoculated insects were the control group. (b) Larval mortality was significantly different (), one-way ANOVA. All groups were significantly different (Tukey’s multiple comparisons), with the exception of larval mortality between the medium and high doses (). (c) Successful pupation among groups was significantly different (), Kruskal–Wallis test. Medium vs. SP4 () and high vs. SP4 () were significantly different, Dunn’s multiple comparison test. (d) Emergence was significantly difference between SP4 controls and both low () and medium () infection doses, Dunn’s multiple comparisons test. No insects in the high dose group were able to emerge.

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