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J Med Microbiol 54 (2005), 795-802; DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.45704-0
© 2005 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 0022-2615

Cordyceps sinensis mycelium protects mice from group A streptococcal infection

Chih-Feng Kuo1, Cheng-Chih Chen2, Yueh-Hsia Luo2, Robert Y Huang3, Woei-Jer Chuang4, Chia-Chin Sheu5 and Yee-Shin Lin2

1Department of Nursing, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 2,3,4Departments of 2Microbiology and Immunology, 3Medicine and 4Biochemistry, National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan 5Simpson Biotech Company Ltd, Taipei, Taiwan

Correspondence Yee-Shin Lin yslin1{at}mail.ncku.edu.tw

Received April 17, 2004
Accepted May 14, 2005

Group A streptococcus (GAS) infection can cause severe invasive diseases, including necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Cordyceps sinensis, a Chinese herbal medicine, is an immunomodulator. In this study the air-pouch bacterial inoculation model was used to investigate the protective efficacy of C. sinensis mycelium extract against GAS infection. Force-feeding mice with C. sinensis mycelium extract for 3 consecutive days before GAS infection increased the survival rate and reduced local skin-tissue injury compared with mice fed PBS. Bacterial numbers in the air pouch exudates from C. sinensis-treated mice were lower than those from PBS-treated mice. Blood and organs in PBS-treated mice showed bacterial dissemination, but those in C. sinensis-treated mice did not. Three days of pretreatment with C. sinensis extract followed by C. sinensis treatment every other day after GAS infection resulted in 100 % survival. The post-GAS-infection levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and blood urea nitrogen in the sera of C. sinensis-treated mice were lower than those of PBS-treated mice. Taken together, these results show that C. sinensis mycelium extract protects by decreasing bacterial growth and dissemination, thereby increasing mouse survival rate. IL-12 and IFN-{gamma} expression and macrophage phagocytic activity also increased after C. sinensis treatment.

Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; GAS, group A streptococcus; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; SPE-B, streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin B; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.






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