Inefficient T cell memory in the brain of mice infected with Candida albicans.
We compared the contribution of T cell memory to the clearance of the fungus Candida albicans from the liver, kidneys and brain of Balb/c mice in a model of secondary systemic infection. In secondary infection, the fungi were more rapidly eliminated from the liver and kidneys than during primary infection. This was most pronounced in the liver where the fungi were eliminated at day 14 of infection. In contrast, in the brain, cultivable yeasts were still detectable 35 days after infection. Although both CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells could be detected in the brain with immunohistology, these cells appeared later in infection and in lower numbers than in the liver, and there were no significant differences in the numbers of T cells detected in the brain between primary and secondary infection. In contrast to the liver and the kidneys where an effect of T cells on the fungal load could be demonstrated, depletion of neither CD4(+) nor CD8(+) nor Thy-1.2(+) cells resulted in a significant increase of the amount of fungi in the brain above levels measured in secondarily infected mice treated with irrelevant antibodies. We conclude that the contribution of CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells to the clearance of C. albicans in secondary infection is organ-dependent and that T cell memory is inefficient in the brain.
Kretschmar
M
M
Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene Mannheim, Faculty of Clinical Medicine, University of Heidelberg, 68167, Mannheim, Germany.
Hein
A
A
Geginat
G
G
Mueller
C
C
Hof
H
H
Nichterlein
T
T
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007668:Kidney / Q000276:immunology; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*