2.5. Strains of Fungi and Conditions for Cultivation

The strain of A. fumigatus used was Af293 with the required specifications for infections and cultivation as previously described [18]. Briefly, conidia were matured on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar plates for seven days at 37°C and 5% CO₂. To prepare a spore suspension, rinse with 10 mL sterile PBS containing 0.1% Tween 20 and gently scrape the Aspergillus colonies on the Petri dish [19]. Then, filter through eight layers of sterile gauze. After adjusting the fungal suspension to the desired concentration with a hemocytometer, the conidia suspension was stored at 4°C.