<i>Ex vivo</i> cryptococcal antigenic stimulation by pulsed autologous mature dendritic cells (mDCs) co-cultured with T lymphocytes from CSF or blood demonstrates compartmentalization of immune responses in a subgroup of 8 s-CNS and 5 non-CNS patients.

<p>(A) Sum of cytokine-producing IFN-γ+, TNF-α+, and IFN-γ+/TNF-α+ CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes (after mDC presentation of MP and Crypto). Events are normalized to fluorescent beads. B) IFN-γ production of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes after Crypto presentation by mDCs. Tc = T lymphocyte; Crypto = glass bead-fractured, heat-killed <i>C</i>. <i>neoformans</i> strain H99; MP = <i>C</i>. <i>neoformans</i> mannoprotein; No Ag = no antigen (un-loaded mDCs). Open circles and bars are representative of non-CNS (Pulmonary) cases, filled circles and bars of s-CNS (CNS) cases. Error bars specify minimum to maximum values. *0.01≤p<0.05; **0.001≤p<0.01; ***0.0001≤p<0.001.