Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The American Journal of Pathology logoLink to The American Journal of Pathology
. 1980 Oct;101(1):177–194.

Chronic cryptococcal meningitis: a new experimental model in rabbits.

J R Perfect, S D Lang, D T Durack
PMCID: PMC1903580  PMID: 7004196

Abstract

This paper describes the salient features of a new model for chronic cryptococcal meningitis in cortisone-treated rabbits. Normal rabbits soon recovered after intracisternal inoculation of Cryptococcus neoformans, but cortisone-treated animals developed chronic progressive meningitis that was fatal in 2-12 weeks. Incidence and severity of infection was related to cortisone dose, not to inoculum size. The number of mononuclear cells that migrated into the subarachnoid spaces and cerebrospinal fluid of infected rabbits was strikingly reduced by cortisone treatment. Rabbits with cryptococcal meningitis were febrile; their high body temperature did not confer resistance to this infection. Cortisone-treated rabbits provide a new and expedient laboratory model for cryptococcal disease. Potential applications include study of the pathogenesis of cryptococcosis, investigation of the immunobiology of the CNS in chronic meningitis, and in vivo evaluation of newer anticryptococcal treatment regimens.

Full text

PDF
177

Images in this article

185Figure 1
on p.185
186p[186]-a
on p.186

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Atkinson A. J., Jr, Bennett J. E. Experience with a new skin test antigen prepared from Cryptococcus neoformans. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1968 Apr;97(4):637–643. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1968.97.4.637. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BARRON C. N. Cryptococcosis in animals. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1955 Aug;127(941):125–132. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Claman H. N. Corticosteroids and lymphoid cells. N Engl J Med. 1972 Aug 24;287(8):388–397. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197208242870806. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Couch J. R., Abdou N. I., Sagawa A. Histoplasma meningitis with hyperactive suppressor T cells in cerebrospinal fluid. Neurology. 1978 Feb;28(2):119–123. doi: 10.1212/wnl.28.2.119. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Diamond R. D., Bennett J. E. Disseminated cryptococcosis in man: decreased lymphocyte transformation in response to Cryptococcus neoformans. J Infect Dis. 1973 Jun;127(6):694–697. doi: 10.1093/infdis/127.6.694. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Diamond R. D., Bennett J. E. Prognostic factors in cryptococcal meningitis. A study in 111 cases. Ann Intern Med. 1974 Feb;80(2):176–181. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-80-2-176. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Diamond R. D. Effects of stimulation and suppression of cell-mediated immunity on experimental cryptococcosis. Infect Immun. 1977 Jul;17(1):187–194. doi: 10.1128/iai.17.1.187-194.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Felton F. G., Maldonado W. E., Muchmore H. G., Rhoades E. R. Experimental cryptococcal infection in rabbits. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1966 Oct;94(4):589–594. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1966.94.4.589. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Graybill J. R., Alford R. H. Cell-mediated immunity in Cryptococcosis. Cell Immunol. 1974 Oct;14(1):12–21. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(74)90164-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KASS E. H., FINLAND M. Adrenocortical hormones in infection and immunity. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1953;7:361–388. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.07.100153.002045. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LOURIA D. B., FALLON N., BROWNE H. G. The influence of cortisone on experimental fungus infections in mice. J Clin Invest. 1960 Sep;39:1435–1449. doi: 10.1172/JCI104163. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. LURIE M. B., ZAPPASODI P., DANNENBERG A. M., Jr, CARDONA-LYNCH E. The effect of cortisone and ACTH on the pathogenesis of tuberculosis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1953 Jul 17;56(4):779–792. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1953.tb27402.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lehmann P. F., Reiss E. Invasive aspergillosis: antiserum for circulating antigen produced after immunization with serum from infected rabbits. Infect Immun. 1978 May;20(2):570–572. doi: 10.1128/iai.20.2.570-572.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lewis J. L., Rabinovich S. The wide spectrum of cryptococcal infections. Am J Med. 1972 Sep;53(3):315–322. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(72)90174-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Link H. The immune response in human demyelinating diseases. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1978;100:529–543. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-2514-7_39. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Moser R. P., Robinson J. A., Prostko E. R. Lymphocyte subpopulations in human cerebrospinal fluid. Neurology. 1976 Aug;26(8):726–728. doi: 10.1212/wnl.26.8.726. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Plouffe J. F., Silva J., Fekety R., Baird I. Cerebrospinal fluid lymphocyte transformations in meningitis. Arch Intern Med. 1979 Feb;139(2):191–194. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Schröter G. P., Temple D. R., Husberg B. S., Weil R., 3rd, Starzl T. E. Cryptococcosis after renal transplantation: report of ten cases. Surgery. 1976 Mar;79(3):268–277. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Spickard A. Diagnosis and treatment of cryptococcal disease. South Med J. 1973 Jan;66(1):26–31. doi: 10.1097/00007611-197301000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Strippoli V., Simonetti N., Cassone A. Effect of a tetracycline antibiotic on the experimental pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans. Chemotherapy. 1978;24(5):290–296. doi: 10.1159/000237795. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Wilson T. S., Fleming W. A., Robinson F. L., Nicholl B. Cryptococcal meningitis associated with steroid therapy. J Clin Pathol. 1970 Nov;23(8):657–663. doi: 10.1136/jcp.23.8.657. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The American Journal of Pathology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Investigative Pathology

RESOURCES