Embracing multiple infection models to tackle Q fever: A review of in vitro, in vivo, and lung ex vivo models

Multiple animal and cell culture models are employed to study pathogenesis of Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of acute and chronic human Q fever. C. burnetii is a lung pathogen that is aerosolized in contaminated products and inhaled by humans to cause acute disease that can disseminate to other organs and establish chronic infection. Cellular models of Q fever include a variety of tissue-derived cell lines from mice and humans such as lung alveolar ex vivo cells. These models have the advantage of being cost-effective and reproducible. Similarly, animal models including mice and guinea pigs are cost-effective, although only immunocompromised SCID mice display a severe disease phenotype in response to Nine Mile I and Nine Mile II isolates of C. burnetii while immunocompetent guinea pigs display human-like symptoms and robust immune responses. Non-human primates such as macaques and marmosets are the closest model of human disease but are costly and largely used for adaptive immune response studies. All animal models are used for vaccine development but many differences exist in the pathogen’s ability to establish lung infection when considering infection routes, bacterial isolates, and host genetic background. Similarly, while cellular models are useful for characterization of host-pathogen mechanisms, future developments should include use of a lung infection platform to draw appropriate conclusions. Here, we summarize the current state of the C. burnetii lung pathogenesis field by discussing the contribution of different animal and cell culture models and include suggestions for continuing to move the field forward.