Dictyostelium discoideum, Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster as model organisms to study host-pathogen interactions

The basic principles of host defense responses and the offensive strategies employed by pathogenic microbes to survive are conserved across evolution. Therefore, to overcome the experimental and ethical limitations associated with using mammalian models, invertebrate organisms, such as the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, have been employed. Here, we review the advantages and the contribution of such models in the study of host-pathogen interactions.