IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-Characterizing the Alveolar Macrophage and Neutrophil Responses to Inhaled Coccidioides Spores using Ce3D-cleared Precision-Cut Lung Slices

Characterizing the Alveolar Macrophage and Neutrophil Responses to Inhaled Coccidioides Spores using Ce3D-cleared Precision-Cut Lung Slices

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Paul Brennan from Rutgers studied how innate immune cells respond to inhaled <em>Coccidioides</em> spores in the lung. Using cleared precision-cut lung slices and 3D imaging, he found that many spores deposit near bronchiole–alveolar duct junctions, especially in conducting airways that traditional agarose inflation methods can miss. He tracked macrophages and neutrophils over time and across lung microenvironments. Early after infection, alveolar/airway macrophages captured many spores, including in terminal and proximal bronchioles. Neutrophils appeared later, beginning around 3 hours and increasing by 6–24 hours, especially at higher spore burdens. Lower doses were largely handled by macrophages alone, while higher doses triggered neutrophil recruitment, suggesting a threshold effect. Brennan proposed that resident macrophages may “cloak” spores and prevent further immune sensing, with epithelial or complement signaling possibly driving neutrophil influx when macrophages are overwhelmed.

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Date April 16, 2026 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Room 153AB

Session Microbial Pathogenesis

Speaker Paul Brennan

Track Microbial, Parasitic, and Fungal Immunology (MPF)

Year 2026

Keywords

Coccidioides spores

innate immune response

lung macrophages

neutrophil recruitment

bronchiole-alveolar junction

3D lung imaging

April 16, 2026 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

153AB

Microbial Pathogenesis

Paul Brennan

Microbial, Parasitic, and Fungal Immunology (MPF)

2026