The Parinaud oculoglandular syndrome is a rare eye disease caused by different etiologic agents, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. It is characterized by a granulomatous conjunctivitis, accompanied by adjacent preauricular lymphadenopathy and can bring consequences if not treated promptly. We present a case of Parinaud oculoglandular syndrome caused by Sporothrix schenckii from the sporotrichosis epidemic in its zoonotic form occurring in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Transmission electron microscopy can yield useful information in a range of scientific fields; it is capable of imaging at a significantly higher resolution than light microscopes and has been a very useful tool in the identification of morphological changes of the dermis as well as assessment of changes in the extracellular matrix. Our aim is to characterize by electron microscopy the cellular profile of lesions caused by Sporothrix schenckii from the sporotrichosis epidemic in its zoonotic form that occurs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
BACKGROUND
Dendritic cells (DCs) specific intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-3-grabbing non integrin receptor (DC-SIGN) binds to subgenera
Leishmania
promastigotes mediating its interaction with DC and neutrophils, potentially influencing the infection outcome.
OBJECTIVES
In this work, we investigated whether DC-SIGN receptor is expressed in cells from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) lesions as well as the
in vitro
binding pattern of
Leishmania
(
Viannia
)
braziliensis
(Lb) and
L.
(
L.
)
amazonensis
(La) promastigotes.
METHODS
DC-SIGN receptor was labeled by immunohistochemistry in cryopreserved CL tissue fragments.
In vitro
binding assay with CFSE-labeled Lb or La promastigotes and RAJI-transfecting cells expressing DC-SIGN (DC-SIGN
POS
) or mock-transfected (DC-SIGN
NEG
) were monitored by flow cytometry at 2 h, 24 h and 48 h in co-culture.
RESULTS
In CL lesion infiltrate, DC-SIGN
POS
cells were present in the dermis and near the epidermis. Both Lb and La bind to DC-SIGN
POS
cells, while binding to DC-SIGN
NEG
was low. La showed precocious and higher affinity to DC-SIGN
hi
population than to DC-SIGN
low
, while Lb binding was similar in these populations.
CONCLUSION
Our results demonstrate that DC-SIGN receptor is present in
L. braziliensis
CL lesions and interact with Lb promastigotes. Moreover, the differences in the binding pattern to Lb and La suggest DC-SIGN can influence in a difference way the intake of the parasites at the first hours after
Leishmania
infection. These results raise the hypothesis that DC-SIGN receptor could participate in the immunopathogenesis of American tegumentary leishmaniasis accounting for the differences in the outcome of the
Leishmania
spp. infection.
Sporotrichosis is caused by the dimorphic fungus Sporothrix schenckii and was first described by Benjamin Schenck in 1898. It is the most common subcutaneous mycosis in Latin America. The infection is usually acquired by inoculation of the fungus through the skin. Zoonotic transmission of sporotrichosis seems to be rare worldwide. However, since 1998, an increasing number of cases have been reported in humans in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the vast majority of these cases have been associated with contact with cats affected by the same condition. Itraconazole is the drug of choice for treatment.
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