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Fungal biomass is a key factor affecting polymorphonuclear leucocyte-induced hyphal damage of filamentous fungi

Charalampos Antachopoulos1, Joanne P Demchok, Emmanuel Roilides

  • 1Immunocompromised Host Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Mycoses
|July 30, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Fungal biomass significantly impacts polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN)-induced hyphal damage (HD). Higher fungal biomass correlates with decreased hyphal damage, with effects varying by fungal species and immune cell ratio.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Immunology
  • Medical Mycology

Background:

  • Filamentous fungi pose significant health risks, particularly to immunocompromised individuals.
  • Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are crucial in combating fungal infections by damaging fungal hyphae.
  • The relationship between fungal biomass and PMN-mediated hyphal damage (HD) remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically investigate the effect of fungal biomass on PMN-induced hyphal damage (HD) in various filamentous fungi.
  • To determine if fungal biomass is a significant factor influencing the efficacy of PMN-mediated fungal clearance.

Main Methods:

  • Eight fungal species were cultured to achieve biomass levels ranging from 0.01 to 0.1 optical density (OD).
  • PMNs were introduced at varying effector-to-target (E:T) ratios (5:1 to 100:1).
  • Hyphal damage was quantified using the XTT metabolic assay.

Main Results:

  • Hyphal damage decreased significantly with increasing fungal biomass, following a sigmoid (Emax) model (median R²: 0.87).
  • Lower biomass (0.01 OD) resulted in over twofold greater hyphal damage compared to higher biomass (0.1 OD) across most comparisons.
  • Higher E:T ratios shifted the dose-response curves, indicating increased PMN efficacy at greater cell concentrations, with interspecies variations observed.

Conclusions:

  • Increasing fungal biomass significantly reduces PMN-induced hyphal damage.
  • The extent of hyphal damage is dependent on both the fungal species and the effector-to-target cell ratio.
  • These findings highlight the complex interplay between fungal load, host immune response, and fungal pathogenicity.

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