Virulent isolates and mutants of Blastomyces in mice: a legacy for studies of pathogenesis

This article provides information on the history of Blastomyces dermatitidis isolates and spontaneous mutants, the relationship with maintenance of cultures, and their virulence as quantified in murine models. Virulent isolates have been obtained from soil or from patients. Regardless of origin, mutants attenuated in virulence have sometimes arisen from storage as frozen yeast, frozen mycelia, or refrigerated yeast or serial passage in vitro at 35 degrees to 37 degrees C. Once virulence is lost, reversion to the virulent phenotype (even after serial passage in animals) has not been seen. These data, methods, and isolates provide a basis for future studies of virulence factors.