Resistance to Cryptococcus Neoformans is Associated with an Inflammatory Response to Toxoplasma Gondii in the Central Nervous System of Mice

Overview

Journal Infect Immun

Publisher American Society for Microbiology

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 1996 Jan 1

PMID 8557377

Citations 3

Authors

K M Aguirre

P C Sayles

G W Gibson

L L Johnson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We have studied the resistance of Toxoplasma gondii-infected mice to subsequent infection with Cryptococcus neoformans. Mice infected with the moderately virulent ME49 strain of T. gondii are resistant to proliferation of yeast cells in their brains after intravenous inoculation of the serotype A C. neoformans strain 184. The resistance serves to limit proliferation of yeast cells that colonize the brain. Maximal levels of resistance correlate not with maximal systemic specific anti-Toxoplasma resistance but rather with high levels of inflammatory response, presumably to parasites released from cysts in the brain. Resistance is localized, as mice infected with ME49 show only limited resistance in their lungs after intratracheal instillation of yeast cells, but there is substantial protection against development of cerebral cryptococcosis.

Citing Articles

Decreased resistance to primary intravenous Cryptococcus neoformans infection in aged mice despite adequate resistance to intravenous rechallenge.

Aguirre K, Gibson G, Johnson L Infect Immun. 1998; 66(9):4018-24.

PMID: 9712741 PMC: 108479. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.66.9.4018-4024.1998.

Antigen-induced protective and nonprotective cell-mediated immune components against Cryptococcus neoformans.

Murphy J, Schafer F, Casadevall A, Adesina A Infect Immun. 1998; 66(6):2632-9.

PMID: 9596727 PMC: 108249. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.66.6.2632-2639.1998.

A role for B cells in resistance to Cryptococcus neoformans in mice.

Aguirre K, Johnson L Infect Immun. 1997; 65(2):525-30.

PMID: 9009308 PMC: 176091. DOI: 10.1128/iai.65.2.525-530.1997.

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