Effect of antibody to capsular polysaccharide on eosinophilic pneumonia in murine infection with Cryptococcus neoformans

The effect of the murine IgG1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) 2H1, which binds to Cryptococcus neoformans glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), on pulmonary infection in immunocompetent C57Bl/6 mice was examined. C57Bl/6 mice develop eosinophilic pneumonia in response to pulmonary cryptococcal infection. Survival, organ fungus burden, serum anticapsular antibody levels, and histopathology by light and electron microscopy were studied. MAb administration prior to infection prolonged survival without reducing the number of yeast in the lung or extrapulmonary sites. Compared with uninfected mice, occasional control and MAb-treated mice produced more IgM antibody to GXM or low levels of GXM-binding IgG1, IgG2b, or IgG3 antibodies. MAb- treated mice had fewer granules per eosinophil, indicating alteration in eosinophil physiology or degranulation (or both). Our results provide additional evidence that antibody administration can produce quantitative and qualitative changes in the inflammatory response to a pathogen.