title: Experimental paracoccidioidomycosis in high and low antibody-producer mice. I.--Evolution of the disease, its correlation with the humoral immune response and the patterns of tissue lesions.
abstract: High (H) and low (L) responder mice selected for their capacity to produce antibody against flagellar antigens of Salmonellae sp. were infected i.p. with 10(6) L forms of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, strain 18. In H mice, the mortality ratio was 50%; the splenic index was high at the onset of infection (1.0), decreasing to normal levels after 30 days (0.45), with antibody titres such as 4-5 log2. In L mice, the mortality was 87.5%, the splenic index was above 0.6 and the antibody titres after 30 days were below 2 log2. In L mice, granulomas containing a high number of fungi, epithelioid cells, macrophages and a few polymorphonuclear cells were found. In H mice, focal or diffuse infiltrate of mononuclear cells with few or even the absence of fungi was seen. The passive transfer of immune ascitic fluid to L mice induced a reduction in the number of granulomas and fungi in the lesions.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007116:Immunization, Passive / Q000379:methods; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009929:Organ Size; D010229:Paracoccidioidomycosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology