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Infection and Immunity, April 1999, p. 1828-1836, Vol. 67, No. 4
Kihara Institute for Biological Research and
Graduate School of Integrated Science,
Received 12 August 1998/Returned for modification 16 September
1998/Accepted 23 December 1998
Myeloperoxidase (MPO) catalyzes the reaction of hydrogen peroxide
with chloride ion to produce hypochlorous acid (HOCl), which is used
for microbial killing by phagocytic cells. Despite the important role
of MPO in host defense, however, MPO deficiency is relatively common in
humans, and most of these individuals are in good health. To define the
in vivo role of MPO, we have generated by gene targeting mice having no
MPO activity in their neutrophils and monocytes. The mice without MPO
developed normally, were fertile, and showed normal clearance of
intraperitoneal Staphylococcus aureus. However, they showed
increased susceptibility to pneumonia and death following intratracheal
infection with Candida albicans. Furthermore, the lack of
MPO significantly enhanced the dissemination of intraperitoneally
injected C. albicans into various organs during the first 7 days. Thus, MPO is important for early host defense against fungal
infection, and the inability to generate HOCl cannot be compensated for
by other oxygen-dependent systems in vivo in mice. The mutant mice
serve as a model for studying pulmonary and systemic candidiasis.
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Severe Impairment in Early Host Defense against
Candida albicans in Mice Deficient in
Myeloperoxidase
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Kihara Institute
for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Maioka-cho 641-12, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama 244-0813, Japan. Phone: 81-45-820-1907. Fax: 81-45-820-1901. E-mail: yaratani{at}yokohama-cu.ac.jp.
Infection and Immunity, April 1999, p. 1828-1836, Vol. 67, No. 4
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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