Abstract
Talaromycosis (penicilliosis) caused by Talaromyces marneffei is one of the most important opportunistic infection diseases in tropical countries of South and Southeast Asia. Most infections occurred in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the primarily reason for the increase in the number of the cases is HIV pandemic. The pathogenesis of T. marneffei infection is unclear. There is still no ideal animal model for studying talaromycosis. In this study, we developed a stable, safe and maneuverable murine model that mimics human T. marneffei disseminated infection using T. marneffei yeast intraperitoneal injected to BALB/c nude mice. We successfully observed symptoms similar to those seen in clinical patients in this murine model, including skin lesions, hepatosplenomegaly, pulmonary infection and mesenteric lesions. We further studied the pathological changes of various tissues and organs in the infected animals to help better understand the severity of the infection. This model may provide a good tool for studying disseminated infection induced by T. marneffei.
Highlights
Talaromyces marneffei (T. marneffei), formerly named Penicillium marneffei [1], is a thermally dimorphic fungus that causes lethal mycosis called Talaromycosis in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [2]
The mycelial colony was cultured in brain heart infusion (BHI) plates incubated at 37 oC for 72 h following repeated subculturing until the yeast cells appeared
We established a new experimental murine model of disseminated T. marneffei infection closely mimic the clinic feature of T. marneffei infection observed in humans
Summary
Talaromyces marneffei (T. marneffei), formerly named Penicillium marneffei [1], is a thermally dimorphic fungus that causes lethal mycosis called Talaromycosis (penicilliosis) in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [2]. The mortality rate of patients with disseminated T. marneffei infection range from 10%-30% , and even up to 97% if therapy is delayed [5,6,7,8]. As both basic and clinical knowledge about disseminated Talaromycosis is limited, laboratory models of the disease are needed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
