DSS-induced colitis provides a model for establishing C. albicans colonization in mice. This model reveals that C. albicans augments inflammation and confirms the role of Gal-3 in both inflammation and the control of host responses to C. albicans.

CD patients and their first-degree HRs are more frequently and more heavily colonized by C. albicans than are controls. ASCAs correlate with C. albicans colonization in HRs but not in CD. In HRs, ASCAs could result from an altered immune response to C. albicans. In CD, a subsequent alteration in sensing C. albicans colonization could occur with disease onset.

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Primary biological examination of four extracts of the leaves and stems of Hyptis atrorubens Poit. (Lamiaceae), a plant species used as an antimicrobial agent in Guadeloupe, allowed us to select the hydromethanolic extract of the stems for further studies. It was tested against 46 microorganisms in vitro. It was active against 29 microorganisms. The best antibacterial activity was found against bacteria, mostly Gram-positive ones. Bioautography enabled the isolation and identification of four antibacterial compounds from this plant: rosmarinic acid, methyl rosmarinate, isoquercetin, and hyperoside. The MIC and MBC values of these compounds and their combinations were determined against eight pathogenic bacteria. The best inhibitory and bactericidal activity was found for methyl rosmarinate (0.3 mg/mL). Nevertheless, the bactericidal power of rosmarinic acid was much faster in the time kill study. Synergistic effects were found when combining the active compounds. Finally, the inhibitory effects of the compounds were evaluated on the bacterial growth phases at two different temperatures. Our study demonstrated for the first time antimicrobial activity of Hyptis atrorubens with identification of the active compounds. It supports its traditional use in French West Indies. Although its active compounds need to be further evaluated in vivo, this work emphasizes plants as potent sources of new antimicrobial agents when resistance to antibiotics increases dramatically.

Beyond a defective innate immune response in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an increased immunological response toward microbial and self antigens has been intrinsically linked to the pathogenesis of such common immunopathologies of the gut. Mounting evidence indicates that increased seroreactivity toward certain antigens are a predictive and quantitative heritable trait, including the anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (ASCA). Consistently, Candida albicans and Crohn's disease-associated NOD2 mutations have been recently identified as immunogen and genetic determinants for ASCA, respectively. In clinical practice, current panels of serological markers are not recommended for diagnosis, stratifying, and monitoring IBD. Therefore, prospective studies and highly sensitive serological panels of markers are eagerly awaited before guiding clinical decisions. Better understanding of the serological response in IBD might also provide new insights into their epidemiology and pathophysiology.

Background: Evidence for an increased prevalence of candidaemia and for high associated mortality in the 1990s led to a number of different recommendations concerning the management of at risk patients as well as an increase in the availability and prescription of new antifungal agents. The aim of this study was to parallel in our hospital candidemia incidence with the nature of prescribed antifungal drugs between 1993 and 2003.

Antibodies against Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan (ASCA) and antibodies against synthetic disaccharide fragments of glucans (ALCA) and chitin (ACCA) are biomarkers of Crohn's disease (CD). We previously showed that Candida albicans infection generates ASCA. Here, we explored ALCA and ACCA as possible biomarkers of invasive C. albicans infection (ICI). ASCA, ALCA, ACCA, and Candida mannan antigen and antibody detection tests were performed on 69 sera obtained sequentially from 18 patients with ICIs proven by blood culture, 59 sera from CD patients, 47 sera from hospitalized subjects colonized by Candida species (CZ), and 131 sera from healthy controls (HC). ASCA, ALCA, and ACCA levels in CD and ICI patients were significantly different from those in CZ and HC subjects (P < 0.0001). In ICI patients, these levels increased as infection developed. Using ASCA, ALCA, ACCA, and Platelia Candida tests, 100% of ICIs were detected, with the kinetics of the antibody response depending on the patient during the time course of infection. A large number of sera presented with more than three positive tests. This is the first evidence that the detection of antibodies against chitin and glucans has diagnostic value in fungal infections and that these tests can complement more specific tests. Future trials are necessary to assess the value of these tests in multiparametric analysis, as well as their pathophysiological relevance.

The separation of Pneumocystis carinii life-cycle stages while preserving infectivity is a hitherto unresolved challenge. We describe an original, reproducible, and efficient method for separating trophic from cystic forms of P. carinii using a high-speed cell sorter. The large amounts of highly purified (99.6+/-0.3%) infectious trophic and cystic forms can now be used to elucidate the poorly understood P. carinii life cycle.