Lung histopathology at one day after infection revealed multifocal inflammatory lesions mostly centred on alveoli but also involving some bronchial/bronchiolar spaces (Figure 7A). They were characterised by small to large infiltrates (surface up to 500 μm2) of neutrophils that were often karyorrhectic and associated with the necrosis of the overlying epithelium (Figure 7C, E). The total surface of inflammatory infiltrates was 3.8 ± 2.0% of the total lung parenchyma surface (Table 1). Germinating buy PF299 conidia and hyphae were GSK3326595 diffusely observed
in bronchiolar and alveolar spaces, as well as in the interalveolar septae (Figure 7B), but they displayed different maturation stages. Bronchiolar spaces contained mature septated hyphae (Figure 7D), in contrast to alveolar spaces, where only early germinating conidia and short hyphal germlings were detected (Figure 7F). These experiments confirm the data obtained from the quantification of fungal DNA within the infected tissues, which implied that conidia are rapidly germinating under cortisone acetate treatment. Figure
7 The cortisone acetate mediated neutrophil infiltration did not prevent conidia germination even one day after infection. (A): Multifocal inflammatory lesion extending from bronchi/bronchioles to alveoli (arrowheads). (B): Numerous fungal cells can be detected in the inflammatory infiltrates (arrowheads). (C, E): In the bronchioles (C) as well as in the alveoli (E), inflammatory infiltrates contained numerous neutrophils, which were very often fragmented
(suppuration). selleck chemical (D, F): Bronchiolar spaces contained mature hyphae (D) in contrast to alveolar spaces that contained poorly mature hyphae and early germinating conidia (F). A, C, E: HE staining; B, D, F: GMS staining. In comparison to clodrolip-treated mice (Table 1), cortisone acetate-treated mice exhibited a higher and more severe level of pulmonary Cell press parenchyma destruction, and conidia and hyphae were at a more advanced stage of maturation. Three days after infection (Figure 8), pulmonary inflammatory lesions within the corticosteroid-treated group were multifocal, centred on bronchi/bronchioles but secondarily extending to alveoli and blood vessels (veins and arteries), and displayed a concentric organisation (Figure 8A). In the centre of the inflammatory lesions, bronchiolar, alveolar and vascular spaces were infiltrated mostly by karyorrhectic neutrophils (Figure 8C, E). Neutrophils were circled by a peripheral rim of activated macrophages (epithelioid cells): pyogranulomatous lesion (Figure 8D). This was the only condition where pyogranulomatous lesions were observed and all the five mice of the studied group displayed similar lesions (nature and severity). The surface of these pyogranulomatous lesions was up to 1,370 μm2; the general inflammatory lesion filled 11.2 ± 1.