CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PYROGENICITY OFCANDIDA ALBICANS, SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE, ANDCRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS

Abstract

Kobayashi, George S. (Tulane University, New Orleans, La.), and Lorraine Friedman . Characterization of the pyrogenicity of Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , and Cryptococcus neoformans . J. Bacteriol. 88: 660–666. 1964.—The intravenous injection into rabbits of 10 9 yeast cells of Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , or Cryptococcus neoformans (both slightly and heavily encapsulated forms) induced a febrile response indistinguishable from that elicited by gram-negative bacterial endotoxin. There was a brisk rise in body temperature which began as early as 30 min after injection, peaked once or twice, and then returned to normal after about 10 hr. With viable C. albicans , the febrile response did not return to normal but remained elevated for several days and terminated at death of the animal. Of three extraction procedures employed in attempts to isolate the endotoxin-like pyrogenically active substances from C. albicans , only one, the phenol extraction method, was successful. Pyrogenic substances were more easily extractable from S. cerevisiae , but extracted cells of both species were still highly pyrogenic. It was concluded that the particulate nature of the yeast cell did not contribute to the induction of fever, for latex particles of a similar size were nonpyrogenic. Viable or heat-killed C. albicans , phenol extract of C. albicans , zymosan, and polystyrene latex particles all failed to induce in rabbits increased dermal reactivity to epinephrine.

Biological and Chemical Characterization of Toxic Substances from Candida albicans

“…It is difficult to relate Candida toxicity to etiology of disease processes in candidiasis since relatively large amounts of materials are necessary for reactions in experimental animals. Also, similar activities such as fever in rabbits, have been previously noted with a nonpathogenic yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (17). However, an additional test showed that whole cells, cell walls, and extraction residues, but not soluble mouse-lethal extracts or bacterial endotoxin, produced a granulomatous reaction in mice.…”

“…Also, it has been shown more recently that the effects of endotoxin tolerance and its role in protecting against C. albicans may be due to factors appearing in the serum after administration of endotoxin (40). Other findings (12,17) that seem to relate the toxicity of C. albicans to that of gram-negative bacteria have been those in which the toxic activity of the fungus was associated with the aqueous phase of a hot phenol extraction, a classical method of extracting endotoxin.…”

Involvement of brain cytokines in zymosan-induced febrile response

“…used to induce arthritis (22) and other inflammatory conditions such as ear edema, peritonitis, and shock (23,26,46). Zym was also previously used to induce fever in laboratory animals (29,31,34), but compared with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the mediators and mechanisms involved in zym-induced fever are mostly unknown.…”

Glucans and Cancer: Comparison of Commercially Available β-glucans – Part IV

“…Due to the justified distrust of bacterial sources of polysaccharides, attention gradually shifts to much less dangerous microorganisms, first of all to yeasts. Their intact cells could be, of course, also pyrogenic (20). This pyrogenicity, given mostly by contaminating proteins, is negligible compared to the other effects.…”