title: Fungicidal activity of IFN-gamma-activated macrophages. Extracellular killing of Cryptococcus neoformans.
abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast-form fungus which causes pulmonary and meningeal infections preferentially in the immunocompromised host. It is thought that cell-mediated immunity is important for acquired resistance against cryptococcosis with activated macrophages as the final effector cells. However, specific polysaccharides in the capsule of C. neoformans protect the fungus from adherence to phagocytes and from subsequent phagocytosis. We have studied extracellular killing of C. neoformans by IFN-gamma-activated macrophages and their products. Murine bone marrow-derived macrophages stimulated with rIFN-gamma for 24 h were able to effectively suppress the growth of C. neoformans and the effect of IFN-gamma was augmented by LPS. Killing of C. neoformans was also achieved by cell-free supernatants from bone marrow-derived macrophages stimulated with IFN-gamma plus LPS. Our results indicate that killing of C. neoformans by activated macrophages is independent from toxic oxygen radicals and mediated by secreted protein(s) of apparent molecular mass of 15 and 30 kDa. These findings indicate that activated macrophages play a major role in host defense, although the fungus resists phagocytosis and remains in the extracellular milieu.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ulm, FRG.
authors.forename: I E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Flesch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schwamberger
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D001853:Bone Marrow; D002474:Cell-Free System; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003454:Cryptococcus / Q000276:immunology*; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008970:Molecular Weight
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D007371:Interferon-gamma