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The pathways and the mechanisms by which Cryptococcus enters the brain.

Yangyu ZhouYemei HuangChen YangXuelei ZangHengyu DengJing LiuEnqi ZhaoTingyue TianLei PanXinying Xue
Published in: Mycology (2024)
Generally, Cryptococcus initially infects the respiratory tract, but can spread, eventually crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and causing meningitis or meningoencephalitis. Specifically, Cryptococcus invades the vascular endothelial cells of the BBB, from which it enters the brain. The main mechanisms through which Cryptococcus crosses the BBB are transcellular traversal, the paracellular pathway, and via Trojan horse. In this paper, the mechanisms by which Cryptococcus crosses the BBB were explained in detail. In addition to pathways of entry to the brain, this paper presents a discussion on some rare cryptococcal infections and provides some insights for future research directions.
Keyphrases
  • blood brain barrier
  • resting state
  • respiratory tract
  • white matter
  • cerebral ischemia
  • endothelial cells
  • functional connectivity
  • brain injury
  • high glucose