Fungus and Mice: Could They Provide Answers About Immunity in Those With HIV/AIDs?

Abstract

Since the discovery of HIV/AIDs in the United States in the 1970s it has been a hot topic of research in regards to immunity, and potential treatments to remedy symptoms. One Oklahoma State University professor Dr. Karen Wozniak has contributed to this research through the study of interactions between pulmonary immune system cells, and a fungus known as Cryptococcus neoformans, which is known to be the leading cause of fungal meningitis (Hawkins et al. 2021). In her collaborative study Dr. Wozniak uses mice to track how  C. neoformans interacts with and infects pulmonary phagocytes such as alveolar macrophages.