Figure 2.

Cn tps1Δ remains avirulent in a disseminated infection model with differential level of improved fungal control within specific organs. BALB/c mice were infected intravenously (IV) with 1*10⁵ Cn H99 or tps1Δ or tps1Δ:TPS1. (A) Infected mice were monitored for 21 days for survival. All mice infected with TPS1-sufficent Cn reached endpoint criteria between 8 dpi and 18 dpi, whereas all tps1Δ-infected mice survived; n = 3–5 mice/group. (B) Fungal burdens were analyzed for tps1Δ IV-infected mice at selected time points between 1 dpi and 21 dpi in lungs, brains, and spleens; n = 4–10. Note that tps1Δ was largely unable to establish lung or spleen infection; it was delayed in crossing into the CNS but continued to expand in the brain until 14 dpi. (C) Fungal burdens in the lungs, brains, and spleens of IV H99-IV-infected mouse were reported at discrete time points between 8 dpi and 18 dpi and cumulatively at the time of death (median 13 dpi). These were compared with the tps1Δ IV-infected mice at 14 dpi as that timepoint had the highest CFUs, and these two times are collectively referred to as the peak of infection. n = 3–8 mice/group. *p ≤ 0.05, **p ≤ 0.01, ****p ≤ 0.0001.