Paramecium species ingest and kill the cells of the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans.
Med Mycol
; 48(5): 775-9, 2010 Aug.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20233022
ABSTRACT
A fundamental question in the field of medical mycology is the origin of virulence in those fungal pathogens acquired directly from the environment. In recent years, it was proposed that the virulence of certain environmental animal-pathogenic microbes, such as Cryptococcus neoformans, originated from selection pressures caused by species-specific predation. In this study, we analyzed the interaction of C. neoformans with three Paramecium spp., all of which are ciliated mobile protists. In contrast to the interaction with amoebae, some Paramecium spp. rapidly ingested C. neoformans and killed the fungus. This study establishes yet another type of protist-fungal interaction supporting the notion that animal-pathogenic fungi in the environment are under constant selection by predation.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Paramecium
/
Fagocitose
/
Cryptococcus neoformans
/
Viabilidade Microbiana
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Med Mycol
Assunto da revista:
MEDICINA VETERINARIA
/
MICROBIOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2010
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos