Selective involvement of the brain in experimental murine cryptococcosis. II. Histopathological observations

Abstract

In the present communication the previously described cultural findings about the selective involvement of the central nervous system by C. neoformans, strain W 2/A 94, have been supplemented by the results of histopathological investigations. Attention has been paid to the organ specific tissue reaction during the course of infection, with special reference to the involvement of the brain. In agreement with former observations concerning the cryptococcoma in the muscle-tissue, the cryptococcal foci in the brain also showed the phenomenon of vascularisation. The results have been compared with those of the C. neoformans, strain W 71/A 117 which does not allow such a prolonged selective involvement of the central nervous system due to its high virulence for the white mice. These observations impressively demonstrate the significance of simultaneous microbiological and histopathological examinations for the detection of infections caused by such facultative pathogens.