Changes in airway dynamics have been reported in the rat model of pulmonary cryptococcosis. However, it is not known if Cryptococcus neoformans-induced changes in lung functions are related to the immunophenotype that develops in response to cryptococcal infection in the lungs. In this study we performed a parallel analysis of the immunophenotype and airway resistance (standard resistance of the airways [SRAW]) in BALB/c mice infected with highly virulent C. neoformans strain H99 and moderately virulent strain 52D. H99 infection evoked a Th2 response and was associated with increased SRAW, while the SRAW for 52D infection, which resulted in a predominantly Th1-skewed response, did not differ from the SRAW for uninfected mice. We found that an altered SRAW in mice did not positively or negatively correlate with the pulmonary fungal burden, the magnitude of inflammatory response, the numbers of T cells, eosinophils or eosinophil subsets, neutrophils, or monocytes/macrophages, or the levels of cytokines (interleukin-4 [IL-4], IL-10, gamma interferon, or IL-13) produced by lung leukocytes. However, the level of a systemic Th2 marker, serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), correlated significantly with SRAW, indicating that the changes in lung functions were proportional to the level of Th2 skewing in this model. These data also imply that IgE may contribute to the altered SRAW observed in H99-infected mice. Lung histological analysis revealed severe allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis pathology in H99-infected mice and evidence of protective responses in 52D-infected mice with well-marginalized lesions. Taken together, the data show that C. neoformans can significantly affect airflow physiology, particularly in the context of a Th2 immune response with possible involvement of IgE as an important factor.Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast and is one of the leading fungal opportunistic pathogens worldwide, with increasing potential to affect both immunocompromised and noncompromised individuals (22,35). The primary site of C. neoformans infection is the respiratory tract, where the infection is either cleared (predominantly by Th1 immune responses) or persists in the absence of protective responses. Th1 immune responses in C. neoformans infection models are characterized by recruitment of CD4 ϩ and CD8 ϩ lymphocytes, production of Th1 cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-␣], gamma interferon [IFN-␥], and interleukin-12 [IL-12]), and formation of tight granulomas containing classically activated macrophages, followed by clearance of the infection and resolution (4,7,26,39). In contrast, Th2 immune responses are nonprotective. These responses are characterized by production of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13), pulmonary eosinophilia, alternative activation of macrophages (YM crystal formation), elevation of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, and chronic infection with severe lung pathology (3,8,17,33,34,40).The Th2-driven pulmonary diseases are allergic diseases and include asthma, hypersensitivity pneum...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by the presence of airflow obstruction and lung destruction with airspace enlargement. In addition to cigarette smoking, respiratory pathogens play a role in pathogenesis, but specific organisms are not always identified. Recent reports demonstrate associations between the detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii DNA in lung specimens or respiratory secretions and the presence of emphysema in COPD patients. Additionally, human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals who smoke cigarettes develop early emphysema, but a role for P. jirovecii in pathogenesis remains speculative. We developed a new experimental model using immunocompetent mice to test the interaction of cigarette smoke exposure and environmentally acquired Pneumocystis murina infection in vivo. We hypothesized that cigarette smoke and P. murina would interact to cause increases in total lung capacity, airspace enlargement, and pulmonary inflammation. We found that exposure to cigarette smoke significantly increases the lung organism burden of P. murina. Pulmonary infection with P. murina, combined with cigarette smoke exposure, results in changes in pulmonary function and airspace enlargement characteristic of pulmonary emphysema. P. murina and cigarette smoke exposure interact to cause increased lung inflammatory cell accumulation. These findings establish a novel animal model system to explore the role of Pneumocystis species in the pathogenesis of COPD.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by the presence of airflow obstruction and lung destruction. The main risk factor for developing COPD is cigarette smoking; however, only about 20% of smokers develop lung disease. The mechanisms by which cigarette smoke leads to pathological changes in both airways and lung parenchyma are unclear. Pulmonary inflammation, localized to the airways, is a pathological feature in the lungs of COPD patients. A predominance of macrophages and CD8 ϩ T lymphocytes are found both in bronchial biopsies (43,44) and in the lung parenchyma at sites of parenchymal destruction (29). These findings suggest that CD8 ϩ T lymphocytes may be responsible for damage to the lung, either by directly injuring neighboring cells, by secreting molecules that injure the lung, or by recruiting and activating additional inflammatory cells.The stimuli responsible for triggering inflammation are not known, but infectious pathogens likely play a role in the initiation or perpetuation of pulmonary inflammation in COPD. Much of the work examining the role of infection in the course and pathogenesis of COPD has focused on bacterial colonization (45), but bacterial or viral colonization may be insufficient to explain pathogenesis. An intriguing alternate pathogen that has received recent attention is the fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii. Although it was previously thought to be an opportunistic pathogen that caused serious pneumonia only in severely immunocompromised patients, recent investigations substantiate the exi...

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