Courses:  Cell Biology (BIOL 340), Cell Biology Laboratory (BIOL 340L), Immunology (BIOL 405), Immunology Laboratory (BIOL 405L)

Research Interests: I work with mammalian tissue culture, co-culturing mouse brain cells and T lymphocytes to ask questions about mechanisms of immunity to microbes that colonize the brain, causing meningitis.

• A research student sets up a co-culture experiment using microglial cells and T cells
• Mouse brain tissue after experimental infection with the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans
• Lung tissue of mouse infected with the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans
• A microglial cell interacts with invading fungi

Selected Publications:

Aguirre K, *Crowe JJ, *Haas A, *Smith J. 2004 Resistance to Cryptococcus neoformans infection in the absence of CD4+ T cells. Med Mycol 42(1):15-25.

Aguirre K, *Miller S. 2002. Class-II posoitive perivascular microglial cells mediate resistance to Cryptococcus neoformans brain infection. Glia 39(2):184-188.

Aguirre KM, Gibson GW. 2000. Differing requirement for inducible ntric oxide synthase activity in clearance of primary and secondary Cryptococcus neoformans infection. Med Mycol 2000 Oct:38(5):343-353

Aguirre KM, Gibson GW and Johnson LL. 1998. Decreased resistance to primary intravenous Cryptococcus neoformans infection in aged mice despite adequate resistance to intrqavenous rechallenge. Infect Immun Sep 66 (9):4018-24.

Aguirre KM, McCormick RJ and Schwarzbauer JE. Fibronectin self-associationis mediated by complementary sites within the amino treminal one-third of themolecule. J Biol Chem 1994 Nov. 11: 269:45):27863-8