Hebeler-Barbosa F, Montenegro M R, Bagagli E
Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biociências-Unesp-Botucatu, Brazil.
Med Mycol. 2003 Apr;41(2):89-96. doi: 10.1080/mmy.41.2.89.96.
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiologic agent of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), the most important systemic mycosis in Latin America. The armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus, has been confirmed as the primary natural reservoir of this fungus. Its geographic distribution is similar to that of human PCM. In this study, virulence profiles of 10 P. brasiliensis isolates from different armadillos and of two clinical isolates were tested in an experimental hamster model. Pathogenicity was evaluated by counting cfu and performing histopathological analysis in the testis, liver, spleen and lung. Circulating specific antibodies were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All isolates from armadillos were virulent in the model, with dissemination to many organs. The clinical isolates, which had long been stored in cultured collections, were less virulent. The isolates were classified into four virulence categories according to number of cfu per gram of tissue: very high, high, intermediate and low. This study confirms that armadillos harbor pathogenic genotypes of P. brasiliensis, probably the same ones that infect humans.
巴西副球孢子菌是副球孢子菌病（PCM）的病原体，PCM是拉丁美洲最重要的系统性真菌病。犰狳，九带犰狳，已被确认为这种真菌的主要天然宿主。其地理分布与人类PCM相似。在本研究中，在实验性仓鼠模型中测试了来自不同犰狳的10株巴西副球孢子菌分离株和两株临床分离株的毒力谱。通过计数cfu并在睾丸、肝脏、脾脏和肺中进行组织病理学分析来评估致病性。使用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）测量循环特异性抗体。所有来自犰狳的分离株在模型中都具有毒性，可扩散到许多器官。长期保存在培养物收藏中的临床分离株毒性较小。根据每克组织中的cfu数量，将分离株分为四个毒力类别：非常高、高、中等和低。本研究证实犰狳携带巴西副球孢子菌的致病基因型，可能与感染人类的基因型相同。
