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Macrophage Cholesterol Depletion and Its Effect on the Phagocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans
11:07

Macrophage Cholesterol Depletion and Its Effect on the Phagocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans

Published on: December 19, 2014

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An Automated Assay to Measure Phagocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans

Andrew L Chang1, Camaron R Hole1, Tamara L Doering1

  • 1Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.

Current Protocols in Microbiology
|February 26, 2019
PubMed

Insights

This study presents a new high-throughput imaging method to assess how effectively phagocytes engulf Cryptococcus neoformans fungal cells. This rapid technique helps understand the critical early steps in fungal meningoencephalitis pathogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Immunology
  • Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen causing meningoencephalitis, leading to 200,000 deaths annually.
  • Inhalation into the lungs initiates host-pathogen interaction, with fungal uptake by phagocytes being a critical step.
  • The phagocytic index quantifies the avidity of this fungal cell uptake by phagocytes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To detail a high-throughput method for directly assessing the phagocytic index of fungal cells.
  • To enable rapid evaluation of host-pathogen interactions in Cryptococcus neoformans infections.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing an imaging-based paradigm for direct assessment of the phagocytic index.
  • Automating image collection and processing for high-throughput analysis.

Main Results:

  • The developed method allows for rapid assessment of fungal cell uptake by phagocytes.
  • This technique provides a direct measure of the phagocytic index.

Conclusions:

  • Automated imaging offers a fast and efficient way to evaluate critical host-pathogen interactions.
  • This method aids in understanding the pathogenesis of Cryptococcus neoformans infections.
Keywords:
Cryptococcus neoformansautomationphagocytic indexphagocytosis

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