Efficacy of PTX3 in a rat model of invasive aspergillosis

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an acute-phase glycoprotein with a nonredundant function in the host resistance to Aspergillus fumigatus. PTX3 activity was evaluated against pulmonary aspergillosis in rats immunosuppressed with cortisone acetate. PTX3 enhanced the survival rate and reduced the lung fungal burden of infected rats in both therapeutic and prophylactic modalities. Thus, we extended the protective activity of PTX3 in pulmonary aspergillosis to corticosteroid-induced immunodeficiency, which is a relevant clinical condition in graft-versus-host disease and in solid organ transplant.