The Effect of Dexamethason and Oxytetracyclin on the Growth of Candida albicans

Abstract

Summary: Candida albicans was grown in Sabouraud's dextrose liquid medium alone and with decadron®*, terramycin®** and both. Decadron® was incorporated in the strengths of 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 % and terramycin® in 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5% strengths. Dry weight and pH values of the growths obtained were determined. The maximum increase in values occured when C. albicans was grown with decadron and terramycin together. The increase with decadron® or terramycin® individually or in combination was proportional to the increase in the concentration of the additives and was statistically significant when compared to the respective controls. The lesions in rabbit cornea were more severe with treated than untreated Candida. Zusammenfassung: Candida albicans wurde in flüssigem Sabouraud‐Dextrose‐Me‐dium allein, unter Zusatz von Dexamethason, von Oxytetracyclin und von Dexamethason + Oxytetracyclin gezüchtet. Dexamethason wurde in einer Konzentration von 0,01, 0,05 und 0,1 % angewendet, bei Oxytetracyclin betrugen die Konzentrationen 0,1, 0,2 und 0,5 %. Das Trockengewicht der gewachsenen Hefen und die pH‐Werte im Nährboden wurden bestimmt. Der höchste Anstieg von Trockengewicht und pH‐Wert trat auf, wenn Candida albicans unter gleichzeitigem Zusatz von Dexamethason und Oxytetracyclin gezüchtet wurde. Der Anstieg bei Züchtung mit Dexamethason oder Oxytetracyclin einzeln oder in Kombination war proportional zum Anstieg der Konzentrationen dieser Zusätze und war statistisch gegenüber den zugehörigen Kontrollen signifikant. An der Cornea des Kaninchenauges hervorgerufene Läsionen waren aus‐geprägter, wenn Candida albicans‐Zellen verwendet wurden, die im Nährmedium mit den genannten Zusätzen angezüchtet worden waren.

Mechanisms Potentiating Candida Infections. A Review

“…Although the majority of studies concerning the mechanisms by which predisposing factors, particularly chemotherapeutic agents, enhance the invasiveness of fungi have concentrated on the effect on the host, a number of studies have claimed that these chemotherapeutic agents have a direct stimulatory effect on the fungi and suggest that these effects are also important in the induction of pathogenicity by the microorganism (40,53). The main drugs studied in this respect are antibiotics, steroids and antineoplastic agents.…”

“…As with antibacterial agents, investigations studyingthe direct effect of steroids on microorganisms report contradictory re- sults with some workers showing growth stimulatory effects (9,40,53), while others reportgrowthinhibitoryeffects (46,74).Yet other workers have further shown that steroids exhibit neither stimulatory nor inhibitory effects (42). Candida response to in vitro growth in the presence of steroids is, on the whole, neutral with steroids exerting no effect on this growth one way or another.…”

“…Therefore, oestriol, oestrone, oestradiol benzoate, ethinyl oestradiol, testosterone and progesterone did not affect the growth of C. albicans (47,83). Two reports, however, claimed that dexamethasone has a growth-enhancing effect on C. albicans (40,53). These workers used dry weight estimation as a measure of growth.…”

The Influence of Antineoplastic Agents on Experimental Candidosis in Mice: Der Einfluß von Cytostatica auf die experimentelle Candidose bei Mäusen

“…It is not clear whether the predominant factors are the underlying diseases themselves, independent of the immunosuppressive therapy, or whether the therapeutic regimes predispose to infection by avariety of mechanisms (24,38). Mechanisms suggested in literature concentrate almost entirely on the influence of chemotherapeutic motherapeutic regimens on the infective organisms (9,10,13,20).…”