Abstract
The fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans, causes devastating levels of morbidity and mortality. Infections with this fungus tend to be predominantly in immunocompromised individuals, such as those with HIV. Infections initiate with inhalation of cryptococcal cells and entry of the pathogen into the lungs. The bronchial epithelial cells of the upper airway and the alveolar epithelial cells of the lower airway are likely to be the first host cells that Cryptococcus engage with. Thus the interaction of cryptococci and the respiratory epithelia will be the focus of this review. C. neoformans has been shown to adhere to respiratory epithelial cells, although if the role of the capsule is in aiding or hindering this adhesion is debatable. The epithelia are also able to react to cryptococci with the release of cytokines and chemokines to start the immune response to this invading pathogen. The activity of surfactant components that line this mucosal barrier towards Cryptococcus and the metabolic and transcriptional reaction of cryptococci when encountering epithelial cells will also be discussed.
Highlights
Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycete fungus capable of causing fatal infections in humans.It is estimated that C. neoformans causes over 200,000 infections per year with the majority of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa where HIV rates are high [1,2,3]
For immunocompromised individuals infection can continue to disseminate from the lungs, or perhaps a re-activation of latent cryptococcal cells, leading to often fatal cryptococcosis culminating in cryptococcal meningitis
Further results from this study showed that cryptococcal exposed pulmonary epithelial cells had increased mRNA for the surfactant protein C (SP-C) and CXCL15 (Mouse neutrophil chemokine), but this was independent of IL-33
Summary
Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycete fungus capable of causing fatal infections in humans. For immunocompromised individuals infection can continue to disseminate from the lungs, or perhaps a re-activation of latent cryptococcal cells, leading to often fatal cryptococcosis culminating in cryptococcal meningitis. II epithelial cells form a physical barrier between outside environment andisthe a physical barrier the outside environment and the tissuesthe beneath them [14,15]. This not tissues beneath thembut [14,15]. Overview of Cryptococcus interactions with the the respiratory epithelia Factors involved in both both adhesion and later dissemination are depicted. NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells.
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