Basidiospores of Filobasidiella neoformans var. neoformans (progeny of Cryptococcus neoformans MT 100·1×VR 45980) were able to induce cryptococcosis in Swiss albino mice if inoculated by intraperitoneal injection, nasal instillation or nasal spraying. The latter method, with the aid of a jet nebulizer, was first adopted to imitate the natural entrance of infectious particles. Using this method the small number of basidiospores (7×10 3) could induce cryptococcosis in mice, while the higher number of the parental laboratory‐grown yeast cells (1·5×10 6) did not produce infections. By nasal instillation Cyclophosphamide (Cy)‐treated mice were more susceptible to the basidiospores, showing 80% cryptococcosis (eight of 10). Seven of the eight infected mice had disseminated cryptococcosis. Immunocompetent mice were more resistant to basidiospore infection than Cy‐treated mice, as 40% of that group developed only pulmonary cryptococcosis; none had disseminated infection. Thus, we propose that basidiospores are one form of the infectious propagules of F. neoformans var. neoformans which can cause cryptococcosis, particularly in immunocompromised people.

Basidiospores of Filobasidiella neoformans var. neoformans (progeny of Cryptococcus neoformans MT 100.1 x VR 45980) were able to induce cryptococcosis in Swiss albino mice if inoculated by intraperitoneal injection, nasal instillation or nasal spraying. The latter method, with the aid of a jet nebulizer, was first adopted to imitate the natural entrance of infectious particles. Using this method the small number of basidiospores (7 x 10(3)) could induce cryptococcosis in mice, while the higher number of the parental laboratory-grown yeast cells (1.5 x 10(6)) did not produce infections. By nasal instillation Cyclophosphamide (Cy)-treated mice were more susceptible to the basidiospores, showing 80% cryptococcosis (eight of 10). Seven of the eight infected mice had disseminated cryptococcosis. Immunocompetent mice were more resistant to basidiospore infection than Cy-treated mice, as 40% of that group developed only pulmonary cryptococcosis; none had disseminated infection. Thus, we propose that basidiospores are one form of the infectious propagules of F. neoformans var. neoformans which can cause cryptococcosis, particularly in immunocompromised people.

Basidiospores of Filobasidiella neoformans var. neoformans (progeny of Cryptococcus neoformans MT 100.1 x VR 45980) were able to induce cryptococcosis in Swiss albino mice if inoculated by intraperitoneal injection, nasal instillation or nasal spraying. The latter method, with the aid of a jet nebulizer, was first adopted to imitate the natural entrance of infectious particles. Using this method the small number of basidiospores (7 x 10(3)) could induce cryptococcosis in mice, while the higher number of the parental laboratory-grown yeast cells (1.5 x 10(6)) did not produce infections. By nasal instillation Cyclophosphamide (Cy)-treated mice were more susceptible to the basidiospores, showing 80% cryptococcosis (eight of 10). Seven of the eight infected mice had disseminated cryptococcosis. Immunocompetent mice were more resistant to basidiospore infection than Cy-treated mice, as 40% of that group developed only pulmonary cryptococcosis; none had disseminated infection. Thus, we propose that basidiospores are one form of the infectious propagules of F. neoformans var. neoformans which can cause cryptococcosis, particularly in immunocompromised people.

Many researches concentrated on development of antimicrobial membranes for many applications such as air or water filtration. Disk diffusion was well-known conventional method for antimicrobial assay. However, this method is preferable to hydrophilic materials, where inhibition zone was easily observed. For hydrophobic materials, negative test was always shown, except increase in antimicrobial loading. In this study, glucose fermentation was introduced as a new method for antimicrobial assay. The survived and viable bacteria either at the surface or attached inside the membranes could ferment glucose resulting in acid production and changing color of indicator in the glucose solution from pale orange to pink. FU8M and FA8M nanofiber membrane, loading with AgNO3 and Benzalkonium chloride (0.3-1.0%) were used as hydrophobic and hydrophilic membrane, respectively. The water absorption of these membranes took 2 h and 2 min, respectively, showing that the latter membrane improved its wettability. It is found that FU8M membrane showed no inhibition zone when the antimicrobial loading less than 1%, whereas the FA8M membrane showed inhibition zone from 8.6-14 mm, depending on antimicrobial loading. However, when glucose fermentation method was used, membranes showed the positive test after 9 hours of incubation at the antimicrobial concentration of 0.5%. Hence, this new method can be used as antimicrobial testing for membrane with simple and cost effective.