Neutrophil IL-8 response pattern depends on amount, morphotype and viability of <i>C. albicans</i>.

<p>Neutrophil IL-8 secretion was measured by ELISA. For each sample, 10⁵ neutrophils were infected with <i>C. albicans</i>. Each data point represents the total amount of IL-8 secreted by neutrophils in the course of 6 h. To compare C. <i>albicans</i> wild-type to morphotype-locked mutants neutrophils were infected with wild-type yeasts (closed circles, A), the <i>Δefg1</i> mutant (open triangles, A), wild-type hyphae (closed squares, B) or the <i>Δtup1</i> mutant (open inverted triangles, B). Neutrophils were infected with C. <i>albicans</i> wild-type yeasts which were alive (closed circles, C), thimerosal-killed (half-closed circles, C) or heat-killed (open circles, C) or were infected with C. <i>albicans</i> wild-type hyphae which were alive (closed squares, D), thimerosal-killed (half-closed squares, D) or heat-killed (open squares, D). The dashed line indicates the best-fit which was obtained from three individual assays from three different donors. Masses to MOI conversion for 10⁵ neutrophils: (Yeasts) 1 µg≙0.4, 5 µg≙2.1, 10 µg≙4.1, 20 µg≙8.2, 30 µg≙12.3; (hyphae) 1 µg≙0.2, 5 µg≙0.9, 10 µg≙1.7, 20 µg≙3.4, 30 µg≙5.1.