Figure 1

Internalization of A. fumigatus conidia by BAL cells during AAI. (A) Mice received three i.p. injections of OVA (on days 0, 7, and 21; 10 μg/mouse/injection), and were challenged on day 27 with OVA (1% in PBS) (OVA/OVA group) or PBS (OVA/PBS group). Mice were inoculated with A. fumigatus conidia via inhalation at 24 hours post-allergen challenge. BAL samples were analyzed at 0, 2, 4, and 24 hours post-conidial administration. (B) Total and differential cell numbers immediately before conidia application were evaluated. NM – non-treated mice. (C) The neutrophil to macrophage ratio in BALs of OVA/PBS (open bars) or OVA/OVA (black bars) mice at the indicated time points following conidial application. (D) The ratio of internalized by neutrophils to internalized by macrophages conidia numbers at the different time points following conidial application to OVA/PBS (open bars) and OVA/OVA (black bars) mice. Data are shown as means ± SEM for two representative experiments, with three and five mice per group. OVA/OVA versus OVA/PBS group or OVA/PBS versus NM: * (p < 0.05), *** (p < 0.001), and ns: not significant. Neutrophil to macrophage ratio at the indicated time point versus the time point immediately before conidial application: § (p < 0.01).