Rickettsia helvetica in C3H/HeN mice: a model for studying pathogen- host interactions

Apolline Maitre, Lourdes Mateos-Hernandez, Tal Azagi, Angélique Foucault-Simonin, Sabine Rakotobe, Zbigniew Zając, Pavle Banović, Stefania Porcelli, Aurélie Heckmann, Clémence Galon, Hein Sprong, Sara Moutailler, Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz and Andrea C. Fogaça

A new study published in Heliyon marks a significant advance in understanding Rickettsia helvetica, a tick-borne pathogen associated with emerging human diseases. Researchers successfully developed an animal model using C3H/HeN mice to study R. helvetica infections. This model revealed 100% infection prevalence in mice but no outward signs of disease, offering a unique platform for future research into pathogen-host interactions. While R. helvetica is commonly transmitted by Ixodes ricinus ticks, the study found limited tick infection rates, aligning with real-world tick infection levels. This model offers opportunities for further investigation of tick-borne diseases and potential vaccine development.