Factors Contributing to Sex Differences in Mice Inhaling Aspergillus fumigatus

Abstract

Aspergillus fumigatus is a respiratory fungal pathogen and an allergen, commonly detected in flooded indoor environments and agricultural settings. Previous studies in Balb/c mice showed that repeated inhalation of live and dry A. fumigatus spores, without any adjuvant, elevated allergic immune response and airway remodeling. Sex-specific differences can influence host-pathogen interactions and allergic-asthma related outcomes. However, the effect of host sex on immune response, in the context of A. fumigatus exposure, remains unknown. In this study, we quantified the multivariate and univariate immune response of C57BL/6J mice to live, dry airborne A. fumigatus spores. Our results corroborate previous results in Balb/c mice that repeated inhalation of live A. fumigatus spores is sufficient to induce mucus production and inflammation by day 3 post last challenge, and antibody titers and collagen production by day 28 post-challenge. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that females exhibited significantly higher levels of immune components than males did. Taken together, our data indicate that host-sex is an important factor in shaping the immune response against A. fumigatus, and must be considered when modeling disease in animals, in designing diagnostics and therapeutics for A. fumigatus-associated diseases or while drafting evidence-based guidelines for safe mold levels.