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Natural Cell-Mediated Resistance Against Cryptococcus neoformans: A Possible Role for Natural Killer (NK) Cells

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Current Topics in Medical Mycology

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Medical Mycology ((CT MYCOLOGY,volume 1))

Abstract

Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic fungus that is highly prevalent in nature. Hence, exposure to airborne infectious cryptococci is likely to be a common experience, yet the incidence of disease is surprisingly low. These findings imply that natural cell-mediated resistance may be a major contributing factor in host defense against a primary cryptococcal infection. The two cell types that generally have been considered to be responsible for natural cell-mediated resistance against C. neoformans are polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and macrophages (3, 22, 37, 44, 47, 51, 58, 73). More recent evidence suggests that a third cell type, the natural killer (NK) cell, may also contribute to host resistance in cryptococcosis (53–55). The likelihood that NK cells may mediate primary host defense in cryptococcosis is plausible on the basis that C. neoformans is a large yeast surrounded by antiphagocytic capsular polysaccharides (6, 16, 46). Thus, an attractive hypothesis is that NK cells, which typically eliminate their targets by nonphagocytic mechanisms, can effectively limit cryptococci growth.

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  1. Juneann W. Murphy
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  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Michael R. McGinnis

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Murphy, J.W. (1985). Natural Cell-Mediated Resistance Against Cryptococcus neoformans: A Possible Role for Natural Killer (NK) Cells. In: McGinnis, M.R. (eds) Current Topics in Medical Mycology. Current Topics in Medical Mycology, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9547-8_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9547-8_5

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