Figure 1.

Interaction between the Sporothrix yeasts and human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDMs). (A) Sporothrix schenckii or Sporothrix brasiliensis yeast cells were made to interact with hMDMs at 37°C in a CO₂ incubator for 4–18 h in medium containing whole human serum (wHS) or heat-inactivated human serum (iHS). Optical photomicrographs were recorded at ×100 magnification; at least three biological replicates, each in duplicate, were performed. (B) hMDMs were infected with FITC-labeled yeasts of S. schenckii or S. brasiliensis in the presence of wHS or iHS for 1 h at 37°C in a CO₂ incubator, washed with PBS, incubated for 15 min with Trypan blue, washed, and subjected to flow cytometry after gently releasing hMDMs from the wells using a cell scraper. Results are mean ± SD of three experiments (**p < 0.001 and *p < 0.05).