In vitro growth of bacteria in tissue of Galleria mellonella

The in vitro growth patterns of three nonpathogenic and three pathogenic species of bacteria in tissue of Galleria mellonella were compared to growth curves in broth controls. Over the 12-hour observation period, the nonpathogenic species never attained growth in crushed tissue that was comparable to that of the controls. However, the pathogens grew very similarly in crushed tissue and in broth controls. The results suggest that nonpathogenic species of bacteria are unable to grow in crushed tissue of G. mellonella whereas the tissue appears to be analogous to culture media for the pathogenic species. The possible implications of these results are discussed.