ABSTRACT
Blastomyces dermatitidis, a thermally dimorphic fungus, is a pulmonary pathogen in humans, dogs, mice, and other mammals. Untreated disseminated-human blastomycosis has been reported to have a mortality rate greater than 80%. An advantage of the murine model of pulmonary blastomycosis is the availability of inbred strains. Development of the murine model of pulmonary blastomycosis has made several different types of studies possible. Valuable and pragmatic use has been made of this model in testing the efficacy of new drugs, e.g., imidazoles such as ketoconazole, compared to amphotericin B, for treatment of this disease. Simplicity and convenience of the peritoneal route of experimental infection with B. dermatitidis has favored its use from as early as 1906 until the present. Most models of blastomycosis used the parasite yeast-form for infection. This by-passes the first events that take place in natural infections, namely, conversion from the saprophytic to the parasitic form in the host.
