HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS INDUCED BY NONVIABLE CELLS AND BIOCHEMICAL FRACTIONS FROM PARACOCCIDIOIDES-BRASILIENSIS IN MICE

Non-viable cells and biochemical fractions from Paracoccidioides brasi liensis were obtained for experimental inoculation in mice and posteri or histopathological analysis. Dead total fungus, total fungus disrupt ed by sonorous waves, lipids of the fungus, supernatant of the lipid p urification, integral and disrupted fungus free of lipids were obtaine d. The six preparations arised from masses of lyophilized yeasts of a recent isolate of P. brasiliensis (strain JT-1) and from a ''Pool'' eq uitably constituted by four strains maintained in laboratory for a lon g time (SN, 2, 18 and 192). Different doses of the 12 preparations wer e intraperitoneally inoculated and histopathological analysis were don e 30 days later. This analysis showed that all the inoculated preparat ions gave origin to inflammatory foci, except the one designated ''sup ernatant of lipid purification''. The alterations were detected exclus ively in the liver of the animals and occurred from the smallest dose tested (1 mg), with exception of the lipids of the fungus, where the f oci appeared only from a 3 mg dose onwards. No difference in the capac ity of inducing histopathological alterations was found between the pr eparations obtained from the recent isolate (JT-1) and from the older ones (''Pool''). On the other hand, an increase of the number of infla mmatory foci in function of the inoculated dose was observed.