Aspergillus fumigatus conidia induce a Th1-type cytokine response.

The response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC) to Aspergillus fumigatus in vitro was evaluated. In studies of the proliferative response of MNC from 18 healthy donors to heat-killed A. fumigatus conidia, 15 displayed a significant response, with a stimulation index (SI) between 4 and 193. In contrast, all donors displayed a positive response to Candida albicans blastoconidia (SI ranged from 10 to 224). Despite the variability in reactivity to A. fumigatus conidia, the response of a particular individual was stable when retested over periods of 1-2 weeks. Supernatant from cocultures of A. fumigatus conidia with MNC contained increased levels of interferon-gamma, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-2, compared with unstimulated cells, but not IL-10 or IL-4. In addition, A. fumigatus induced lymphocyte surface expression of adhesion/activation-associated molecules. These results suggest that lymphocytes may contribute to host defense against Aspergillus by generating a Th1-type response.