Experimental systemic cryptococcosis in SCID mice.
The susceptibility of severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice to experimental systemic cryptococcosis was studied. SCID mice were at least 16-fold more susceptible to lethal infection than were immunocompetent control mice (P < 0.001). Histological assessment showed that control mice responded with a granulomatous inflammatory response, whereas SCID mice showed no evidence of a cellular host response. In a therapeutic study, 5 mg kg-1 day-1 of fluconazole caused a significant reduction in the infectious burden in the spleen, liver, kidney and lungs of treated mice compared with no treatment. These results indicate that a model of systemic cryptococcosis with meningitis in SCID mice may have utility in the study of immunology and therapy of this disease in the severely immunocompromised host.
Department of Medicine, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA 95128, USA.
K V
KV
Clemons
R
R
Azzi
D A
DA
Stevens
D000818:Animals; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007249:Inflammation; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D016513:Mice, SCID; D013045:Species Specificity
D015725:Fluconazole