Cytokine profile of a self-healing Fonsecaea pedrosoi infection in murine model.

Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic infectious disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. However, the host-defence response to this fungal infection has not been investigated thoroughly. This study was carried out to analyse the sequential events and the change of local cytokine release in a murine model infected with Fonsecaea pedrosoi in footpad. The anti-inflammatory Th2 cytokine IL-10 demonstrated an upward trend up to 7 days post infection followed by a steady decline. The titers of TNF-α (a pro-inflammatory Th1 cytokine) increased up to 7 days post infection followed by a relatively steady-state until full recovery. The anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 showed a similar pattern as TNF-α. The pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-γ did not increased until 7 days post infection, while demonstrated an upward trend up to 30 days when the mice reached a full recovery from infection.