FIG 8.

Cfp4 is not essential for NAm2 lineage Histoplasma yeasts' ability to cause acute histoplasmosis in mice. Virulence of G217B background yeasts in vivo as assessed by fungal burdens in lungs (A and B) and spleens (C and D) following sublethal infection. Mice were infected intranasally with Cfp4-producing (gfp-RNAi; strain OSU37) or Cfp4-lacking (CFP4-RNAi; strain OSU87) yeasts, and the fungal burden in tissues was determined by plating of the tissue homogenates and enumeration of viable CFU at 4-day increments postinfection. Data represent the fungal burdens in individual mice, and horizontal bars indicate the average burden. Dashed horizontal line in lung graphs indicates the inoculum delivered. Fungal burdens at each time point between Cfp4-producing and cfp4 mutant strains were compared by Student's t test, and statistical significance is indicated by asterisks (*, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01).