University of maryland college park animal health and disease research, FY 2026 abstract the maryland agricultural experiment station (MAES) of the college of agriculture and natural resources…

University of maryland college park animal health and disease research, FY 2026 abstract the maryland agricultural experiment station (MAES) of the college of agriculture and natural resources (AGNR) at the university of maryland will continue to utilize the animal health and disease research (AHDR) fund to study cryptococcus neoformans, a fungal pathogen that infects humans and animals worldwide. Cryptococcus neoformans is a globally distributed fungal pathogen that infects humans and animals, causing serious disease primarily in immunocompromised individuals. Infection begins when fungal cells are inhaled into the lungs, where they proliferate and can subsequently disseminate through the bloodstream to invade the brain, leading to life-threatening cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. Responsible for approximately 112,000 deaths annually, this pathogen remains a major global health concern. The proposed research seeks to elucidate the immune mechanisms that mediate fungal clearance in the lungs, blood, and brain, and to determine how excessive immune responses contribute to immunopathology. Specifically, the study hypothesizes that the complement system and its receptors play a critical role in clearing C. Neoformans during pulmonary and systemic infection. Using both wild-type and various complement-deficient mouse models (including C3, C3AR, C5AR1, and C5AR2 knockouts), the project will assess fungal burdens, immune cell recrui tment, cytokine secretion, and survival outcomes following intratracheal and intravenous infections. Techniques such as elisa, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry will quantify cytokine profiles and immune cell subsets involved in host defense. Additional experiments will investigate how brain-resident microglia and recruited immune cells such as LY6CHI monocytes and T cells contribute to fungal clearance after brain invasion. Through the use of microglia depletion strategies, monocyte-deficient CCR2 knockout mice, and cytokine receptor knockouts for TNF and IFN-?, the study will delineate the cellular and molecular pathways underlying immune-mediated control of infection. Furthermore, the research will explore mechanisms of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), a condition characterized by excessive brain inflammation during recovery from immunosuppression. Using established mouse models and CD4+ T cell adoptive transfer, the project will identify how inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules drive T cell migration and pathology. Together, these studies will provide comprehensive insight into host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation, and potential therapeutic targets for cryptococcal disease. This research will be conducted at the laboratory located in AGNR's department of veterinary medicine. AGNR research projects are peerreviewed before they are approved by the MAES director to ensure that they align with the purposes of the AHDR program. Specifically, the project noted above aligns with the USDA strategic plan FY 2022-2026 (goal 4: provide all americans safe, nutritious food) and our college's strategic initiative - one health: improve human, animal, and environmental health. AGNR submits an annual inventory of animal health research projects to USDA-nifa called the animal health and disease research capacity report (RCR). These projects are funded by various federal and non-federal sources and involve studies of animal diseases; understanding mechanisms of immune responses and how IT controls infectious diseases; and development of novel vaccines and anti-viral therapeutics. Other research are in the areas of animal nutrition, growth, reproduction, breeding and environmental factors affecting livestock and poultry production, and aquaculture.