This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bulmer, G S Articles by Tacker, J R Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bulmer, G S Articles by Tacker, J R

Phagocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans by alveolar macrophages.

ABSTRACT

Guinea pig pulmonary macrophages phagocytized but did not kill nonencapsulated cells of Cryptococcus neoformans. The phagocytic process was inhibited by cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide. Pulmonary macrophages, activated by preinjecting heat-killed bacteria into intact animals, did not kill the engulfed yeast cells. Labeled cells of C. neoformans were neither killed nor cleared from guinea pig lungs 6 h postexposure. The results of our experiments indicate that during the first few hours after the lung is exposed to the infectious particle of C. neoformans the pulmonary macrophage does not function primarily to kill engulfed yeast cells. We believe that a rapid yet transient acute inflammatory response probably plays a major role in this process during the first few hours after C. neoformans enters the lung.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Waterman, S. R., Hacham, M., Panepinto, J., Hu, G., Shin, S., Williamson, P. R. (2007). Cell Wall Targeting of Laccase of Cryptococcus neoformans during Infection of Mice. Infect. Immun. 75: 714-722 [Abstract] [Full Text]