[Frontiers in Bioscience, 3, d136-151, February 1, 1998]

	[Frontiers in Bioscience, 3, d136-151, February 1, 1998] Reprints PubMed CAVEAT LECTOR
	*MECHANISM OF ACTION OF ANTIBODY TO CAPSULAR POLYSACCHARIDE IN CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS* INFECTION Marta Feldmesser¹and Arturo Casadevall^1,2** 1Departments of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases) and Microbiology and Immunology², Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Golding Building Room 701, 1300 Morris Park Ave., Bronx, NY 10461 Received 1/5/98 Accepted 1/9/98 9. PERSPECTIVE The role of Ab immunity in cryptococcal infection and the mechanism by which Ab to the cryptococcal capsule protects in experimental infection remain unknown. The advent of mAb technology has allowed the generation of reagents which have been useful for dissection of the Ab response to this pathogen and for study of the effect of Ab on the host response to infection. Macrophages remain prime suspects for the cells on which mAb acts. Recently, however, attention has focused beyond the standard Ab functions of opsonophagocytosis resulting in enhanced killing toward exploration of areas such as enhancement of macrophage function in antigen presentation. Further, the complex nature of the development of granulomatous inflammation that allows containment of infection, and the apparent ability of Ab to the capsular polysaccharide to enhance this containment in murine infection has turned attention toward possible differences in cytokine milieu that may follow Ab administration. Though study of the effects of Ab on cytokines is likely to yield a heterogeneous body of information, with potential effects on a number of aspects of the immune response, differences in the setting of Ab administration will likely point to new mechanisms by which Ab exerts its effects. The study of Ab immunity in cryptococcal infection has produced observations that are unparalleled in Ab-mediated protection against other pathogens. The phenomena concerning IgG1 and IgG3 have not been described in microbial immunity for other pathogens. The dependency of Ab-mediated immunity on T cell function is also remarkable. These observations may reflect uniqueness of this encapsulated pathogen that is both intra- and extracellular and requires granuloma formation for containment. Further, work on C. neoformans has contributed to re-evaluation of the role of Ab against other pathogens for which classical Ab immunity is not thought to be important, such as Candida albicans (168) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (169).

[Frontiers in Bioscience, 3, d136-151, February 1, 1998]
Reprints
PubMed
CAVEAT LECTOR

MECHANISM OF ACTION OF ANTIBODY TO CAPSULAR POLYSACCHARIDE IN CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS INFECTION

Marta Feldmesser¹and Arturo Casadevall^1,2

1Departments of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases) and Microbiology and Immunology², Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Golding Building Room 701, 1300 Morris Park Ave., Bronx, NY 10461

Received 1/5/98 Accepted 1/9/98

9. PERSPECTIVE

The role of Ab immunity in cryptococcal infection and the mechanism by which Ab to the cryptococcal capsule protects in experimental infection remain unknown. The advent of mAb technology has allowed the generation of reagents which have been useful for dissection of the Ab response to this pathogen and for study of the effect of Ab on the host response to infection. Macrophages remain prime suspects for the cells on which mAb acts. Recently, however, attention has focused beyond the standard Ab functions of opsonophagocytosis resulting in enhanced killing toward exploration of areas such as enhancement of macrophage function in antigen presentation. Further, the complex nature of the development of granulomatous inflammation that allows containment of infection, and the apparent ability of Ab to the capsular polysaccharide to enhance this containment in murine infection has turned attention toward possible differences in cytokine milieu that may follow Ab administration. Though study of the effects of Ab on cytokines is likely to yield a heterogeneous body of information, with potential effects on a number of aspects of the immune response, differences in the setting of Ab administration will likely point to new mechanisms by which Ab exerts its effects.

The study of Ab immunity in cryptococcal infection has produced observations that are unparalleled in Ab-mediated protection against other pathogens. The phenomena concerning IgG1 and IgG3 have not been described in microbial immunity for other pathogens. The dependency of Ab-mediated immunity on T cell function is also remarkable. These observations may reflect uniqueness of this encapsulated pathogen that is both intra- and extracellular and requires granuloma formation for containment. Further, work on C. neoformans has contributed to re-evaluation of the role of Ab against other pathogens for which classical Ab immunity is not thought to be important, such as Candida albicans (168) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (169).