Erschienen in:
01.06.2008 | Brief Report
Mannitol and inflammatory markers in the cerebral spinal fluid of HIV-infected patients with cryptococcal meningitis
verfasst von:
A. P. Liappis, V. L. Kan, N. C. Richman, B. Yoon, B. Wong, G. L. Simon
Erschienen in:
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
|
Ausgabe 6/2008
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Excerpt
Mannitol is a polyol produced by
Cryptococcus neoformans and other fungi, including
Aspergillus and
Saccharomyces species [
1]. A by-product of fungal metabolism, mannitol acts as a scavenger for extracellular free radicals protecting the organism from the environment and assists in the evasion of host phagocytic destruction [
2‐
4]. Mannitol has been detected at higher concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of animals with cryptococcal meningitis (CM) than in uninfected controls [
4]. The accumulation of mannitol in the CSF may exert a significant osmotic effect in the central nervous system of patients with
C. neoformans meningitis, due to its inability to cross the blood–brain barrier and its resistance to host metabolism [
5]. …