Evaluation of the host immune response to Cryptococcus and of the association between fungal organ directivity and host immune reaction.

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26461508
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Infectious disease medicine
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: KOHNO Shigeru 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 客員研究員 (80136647)
• Research Collaborator: SAIJO Tomomi
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: クリプトコック髄膜炎 / 抗GM-CSF抗体 / クリプトコックス抗原 / 肺クリプトコックス症 / BALF中クリプトコックス抗原

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cryptococcus is a pathogenic yeast which causes serious invasive fungal disease not only in immunocompromised patients but also in immunocompetent patients, while the mechanism of the development of cryptococcosis in terms of both fungal virulence factors and host defense systems have much remained unknown. Although detection of cryptococcal glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) antigen in the serum and/or in the cerebrospinal fluid is a useful method for the diagnosis of cryptococcosis, GXM antigen in the serum sometimes remains negative in a patient with a small lesion of pulmonary cryptococcosis.
We evaluated that anti GM-CSF auto antibodies in the host serum are associated with the development of cryptococcal meningitis. The rate of GXM-positive BALF samples was higher than the rate for serum samples, especially for patients with pulmonary lesion diameters <25 mm.

Free Research Field

感染症学