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. 2000 Dec;68(12):6833-9.
doi: 10.1128/IAI.68.12.6833-6839.2000.

Correlation of susceptibility of immature mice to fungal infection (blastomycosis) and effector cell function

A Ganer  1 , E Brummer, D A Stevens
Affiliations

Correlation of susceptibility of immature mice to fungal infection (blastomycosis) and effector cell function

A Ganer et al. Infect Immun. 2000 Dec.

Abstract

Immature mice are highly susceptible to blastomycosis, which is similar to other mycoses and has parallels in humans. The murine susceptibility is noteworthy in that it persists beyond the development of resistance to other, nonfungal pathogens and the maturation of most immune functions. As the susceptibility to blastomycosis appeared to be related to an early event after infection, primary effector cell function was studied. We found that peritoneal inflammatory cells, enriched for neutrophils, from immature (3-week-old) mice killed nonphagocytizable Blastomyces dermatitidis cells less (25%) than did cells from mature (8-week) mice (70%) (P<0.01), a defect intrinsic to the neutrophils. This correlated with an impaired immature cell oxidative burst. Killing of phagocytizable Candida albicans was not significantly different, 73 versus 87%. Thioglycolate-elicited cells were more impaired; killing of B. dermatitidis was insignificant, and killing of C. albicans was more impaired in immature (16% killing) than in mature (45%) cells (P<0.02). Peripheral blood neutrophils from mature animals killed B. dermatitidis (41%) more than did those from immature animals (10%) (P<0.02); C. albicans was killed efficiently by both. Resting or activated peritoneal macrophages from both types of animals showed no differences in B. dermatitidis killing. These results suggest that the susceptibility of immature mice is related at least in part to the depressed capacity of their neutrophils to kill B. dermatitidis.

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Figures

FIG. 1
FIG. 1
Chemiluminescence produced by interaction of caseinate-elicited PMN from mature and immature mice with killed C. albicans.
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Chemiluminescence produced by interaction of caseinate-elicited PMN from mature and immature mice with killed B. dermatitidis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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