Department of Pathology, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2012 May;73(1):49-52. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2012.01.008. Epub 2012 Mar 15.
Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast that primarily causes a life-threatening meningoencephalitis in immunosuppressed individuals especially those with HIV/AIDS. Its main virulence factor is its polysaccharide capsule which interferes with complement-mediated phagocytosis. C. neoformans infections ensue following inhalation of small desiccated less encapsulated propagules leading to pulmonary pneumonia or colonization of the host's respiratory tract. Numerous murine experimental studies have shown major discrepancies in cryptococcal cell and capsule enlargement between the lung and brain. In this report, we describe a nonmurine experimental model of the striking variability between cryptococcal cell and capsule size diameters in histology sections of postmortem lung and brain in a fatal cryptococcal infection in a heart transplant recipient.
新生隐球菌是一种有囊的酵母，主要在免疫抑制个体，尤其是艾滋病毒/艾滋病患者中引起危及生命的脑膜脑炎。其主要毒力因子是其多糖荚膜，它干扰补体介导的吞噬作用。新生隐球菌感染是通过吸入小的干燥的、包裹较少的繁殖体引起的，导致肺部肺炎或宿主呼吸道的定植。许多小鼠实验研究表明，在肺部和大脑中，隐球菌细胞和荚膜的大小存在显著差异。在本报告中，我们描述了一个非小鼠实验模型，即在心脏移植受者致命性隐球菌感染的尸检肺和脑组织学切片中，隐球菌细胞和荚膜大小直径之间存在显著差异。
