A murine model for the study of the impact of Aspergillus fumigatus inoculation on the foeto-placental unit.

Pregnant female BALB/c mice were inoculated intravenously with Aspergillus fumigatus conidia in different concentrations (1 x 10(1)-1 x 10(8)) on day 10 of pregnancy. Pregnancy was confirmed by the presence of murine alpha-fetoprotein (m-AFP) in the maternal circulation. Conidia inoculation of 1 x 10(3) and greater significantly (p less than 0.0001) resulted in abortion or placental lesions. Uterine cell infiltrations were recognized in 75% of the mice which aborted following the inoculation of 1 x 10(3) conidia or more. In the placental lesions of mice inoculated with 0.5-1 x 10(8) conidia, hyphae, haemorrhage, thrombosis, necrosis, calcification, and inflammation were regular findings. Histopathology of other maternal organs revealed that extrauterine organ lesions were closely correlated with the dose of conidia inoculated, and the following pattern of reaction was found: liver greater than lung greater than kidney greater than brain greater than heart.