[The fungal risk in cystic fibrosis: a pilot study]. / Le risque fongique dans la mucoviscidose : étude pilote.

Prevalence of Aspergillus fumigatus, as well as other species, and factors associated with risk induced by fungal colonization are poorly defined in cystic fibrosis (CF). We set up a national prospective study to document this risk. As a pilot study, the fungal risk was determined for 21 CF adult patients in a multidisciplinary way: using clinical parameters, notifying treatment, determining fungal presence in sputum and documenting ABPA status. 16 (76%) patients presented with fungal presence in sputum. Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans were the predominant species, but less common mould species such as Scedosporium apiospermum, or Exophiala dermatitidis were also recovered. Factors significantly associated with fungal presence were pancreatic insufficiency, malnutrition, bacterial colonization, and corticosteroids. Candida albicans was correlated with more severe Shwachman Score, Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization, and intravenous antibiotics use. Moulds species were significantly associated with inhaled corticosteroids. In conclusion, fungal presence in CF appears frequent and various, significantly associated with clinical data, such as inhaled corticosteroids and A. fumigatus. These results confirm the interest of the national prospective French study focused on 300 CF patients, in order to establish if patients could benefit from antifungal treatments or preventive measures.

Cryptosporidium parvum-induced ileo-caecal adenocarcinoma and Wnt signaling in a mouse model.

Cryptosporidium species are apicomplexan protozoans that are found worldwide. These parasites constitute a large risk to human and animal health. They cause self-limited diarrhea in immunocompetent hosts and a life-threatening disease in immunocompromised hosts. Interestingly, Cryptosporidium parvum has been related to digestive carcinogenesis in humans. Consistent with a potential tumorigenic role of this parasite, in an original reproducible animal model of chronic cryptosporidiosis based on dexamethasone-treated or untreated adult SCID mice, we formerly reported that C. parvum (strains of animal and human origin) is able to induce digestive adenocarcinoma even in infections induced with very low inoculum. The aim of this study was to further characterize this animal model and to explore metabolic pathways potentially involved in the development of C. parvum-induced ileo-caecal oncogenesis. We searched for alterations in genes or proteins commonly involved in cell cycle, differentiation or cell migration, such as ß-catenin, Apc, E-cadherin, Kras and p53. After infection of animals with C. parvum we demonstrated immunohistochemical abnormal localization of Wnt signaling pathway components and p53. Mutations in the selected loci of studied genes were not found after high-throughput sequencing. Furthermore, alterations in the ultrastructure of adherens junctions of the ileo-caecal neoplastic epithelia of C. parvum-infected mice were recorded using transmission electron microscopy. In conclusion, we found for the first time that the Wnt signaling pathway, and particularly the cytoskeleton network, seems to be pivotal for the development of the C. parvum-induced neoplastic process and cell migration of transformed cells. Furthermore, this model is a valuable tool in understanding the host-pathogen interactions associated with the intricate infection process of this parasite, which is able to modulate host cytoskeleton activities and several host-cell biological processes and remains a significant cause of infection worldwide.

Cryptosporidium parvum infection in SCID mice infected with only one oocyst: qPCR assessment of parasite replication in tissues and development of digestive cancer.

Dexamethasone (Dex) treated Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) mice were previously described as developing digestive adenocarcinoma after massive infection with Cryptosporidium parvum as soon as 45 days post-infection (P.I.). We aimed to determine the minimum number of oocysts capable of inducing infection and thereby gastrointestinal tumors in this model. Mice were challenged with calibrated oocyst suspensions containing intended doses of: 1, 10, 100 or 10(5) oocysts of C. parvum Iowa strain. All administered doses were infective for animals but increasing the oocyst challenge lead to an increase in mice infectivity (P = 0.01). Oocyst shedding was detected at 7 days P.I. after inoculation with more than 10 oocysts, and after 15 days in mice challenged with one oocyst. In groups challenged with lower inocula, parasite growth phase was significantly higher (P = 0.005) compared to mice inoculated with higher doses. After 45 days P.I. all groups of mice had a mean of oocyst shedding superior to 10,000 oocyst/g of feces. The most impressive observation of this study was the demonstration that C. parvum-induced digestive adenocarcinoma could be caused by infection with low doses of Cryptosporidium, even with only one oocyst: in mice inoculated with low doses, neoplastic lesions were detected as early as 45 days P.I. both in the stomach and ileo-caecal region, and these lesions could evolve in an invasive adenocarcinoma. These findings show a great amplification effect of parasites in mouse tissues after challenge with low doses as confirmed by quantitative PCR. The ability of C. parvum to infect mice with one oocyst and to develop digestive adenocarcinoma suggests that other mammalian species including humans could be also susceptible to this process, especially when they are severely immunocompromised.

Exploring transplacental transmission of Pneumocystis oryctolagi in first-time pregnant and multiparous rabbit does.

Pneumocystis sp. is transmitted through the airborne route and presents a high host-species-specificity. Occasional reports of Pneumocystis pneumonia in still births and newborn infants suggest that other routes of transmission, e.g. transplacental might occur. The latter has been reported in rabbits but available data indicate that transplacental transmission of Pneumocystis seems not to occur in corticosteroid-treated rats and in SCID mice. The present study was undertaken to evaluate transplacental transmission of Pneumocystis oryctolagi. The spontaneously-acquired pneumocystosis rabbit model using hybrid California/New Zealand white female rabbits was selected because of similarities among rabbit and human placentas. Three different experiments were conducted in France and Chile. Pneumocystis organisms were detected by microscopy in the lungs of pregnant does and Pneumocystis DNA was found in the lungs of fetuses from the multiparous does from the second week to the end of gestation. Pneumocystis DNA was not detected in fetuses from primiparous does. Detection of Pneumocystis oryctolagi--DNA in fetuses of multiparous does and not in those of primiparous ones, suggests that transplacental transmission may be favored by multiple gestations. Whether Pneumocystis-DNA in fetal tissues from multiparous does resulted from transplacental passage of viable transmissible forms requires further investigation.

Immunogenicity and antigenicity of the N-term repeat amino acid sequence of the Plasmodium falciparum P126 antigen

The P126 protein, a parasitosphorus vacuole antigen of Plasmodium falciparum has beenshoen to induce protective immunity in Saimiri and Aotus monkeys. In the present work we investigated its immunogenicity. Our results suggest that the N-term of P126 is poorly immunogenic and antibody response against the P126 could be under a MHC restricted control in C57BL/6(H-2b) mice, which could be problematic in ternms of a use of the P126 in a vaccine program. However, we observed that a synthetic peptide, copying the 6 octapeptide repeat corresponding to the N-term of the P126, induces an antibody response to the native molecule in C57BL/6 non-responder mice. Moreover, the vaccine-P126 recombinant induced anmtibodies against the N-term of the molecule in rabbits while the unprocessed P126 did not