The relative susceptibility of New Zealand black and CBA mice to infection with opportunistic fungal pathogens.

The susceptibility of ageing New Zealand Black (NZB) mice to infection with a number of opportunistic fungi and yeasts wsd compared with that of similarly aged mice of the CBA strain. The NZB mice showed a greater susceptibility to lethal infection with Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans than did those of the CBA strain. Both mouse strains showed similar susceptibility to lethal infection by Allescheria boydii, Absidia corymbifera, Mucor pusillus and Rhizopus oryzae. The clinical and histopathological characteristics of the infections produced by Allesch boydii, Asp. fumigatus, Abs. corymbifera, M. pusillus and R. oryzae were similar for both mouse strains. In contrast C. albicans and Crypto. neoformans produced much more severe infections in NZB mice than in CBA mice. These results suggested that T-lymphocyte dependent immune processes played a major role in resistance to C. albicans and Crypto. neoformans but not to Abs. corymbifera, Allesch. boydii, Asp. fumigatus, M. pusillus or R. oryzae.