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Infection and Immunity, December 1998, p. 5999-6003, Vol. 66, No. 12
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Enhances Antifungal Activities of Polymorphonuclear and Mononuclear Phagocytes against Aspergillus fumigatus

Emmanuel Roilides,1,2 Anastasia Dimitriadou-Georgiadou,1 Tin Sein,2 Isaac Kadiltsoglou,1 and Thomas J. Walsh2,*

Third Department of Pediatrics, Hippokration Hospital, University of Thessaloniki, GR-54642, Salonika, Greece,1 and Immunocompromised Host Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 208922

Received 30 September 1997/Returned for modification 5 December 1997/Accepted 25 September 1998

Invasive aspergillosis is a serious complication in immunocompromised patients. The effects of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha ) on antifungal activities of human neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes [PMNs]), human monocytes (MNCs), and rabbit pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) against Aspergillus fumigatus were studied. The percentage of PMN-induced hyphal damage was increased after 30 min of incubation of PMNs with 0.1 ng of TNF-alpha per ml at 37°C (P = 0.043). At 0.1 to 10 ng/ml, TNF-alpha also increased superoxide anion (O2-) produced by PMNs in response to phorbol myristate acetate, N-formylmethionyl leucyl phenylalanine, and unopsonized hyphae (P < 0.01) but did not exert any effect on PMN phagocytosis of conidia in the presence of serum. By comparison, TNF-alpha induced only a slight increase in O2- production by MNCs in response to phorbol myristate acetate (P = 0.05) and no concomitant increase in the percentage of MNC-induced hyphal damage. Incubation of MNCs with TNF-alpha at 0.001 to 10 ng/ml for 2 days had no effect on phagocytosis or conidiocidal activity. By contrast, incubation of PAMs with TNF-alpha at 0.1 to 10 ng/ml for 2 days increased phagocytosis of conidia (P = 0.03). Thus, TNF-alpha augments the capacity of PMNs to damage Aspergillus hyphae, possibly through enhanced oxidative mechanisms, and increases PAM phagocytic activity against conidia. As such, TNF-alpha may have an important role in host defense against aspergillosis, and neutralization of its activity may be complicated by increased susceptibility to aspergillosis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Immunocompromised Host Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bldg. 10, Rm. 13N240, Bethesda, MD 20892. Phone: (301) 402-0023. Fax: (301) 402-0575.

Infection and Immunity, December 1998, p. 5999-6003, Vol. 66, No. 12
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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