Tissue responses to the blastospores and hyphae of Candida albicans in the mouse

Abstract

SUMMARY. Separate groups of mice challenged intravenously with either the blastospore or hyphal forms of the same strain of Candida albicans were examined for comparative mortality rates, organ localisation, and tissue and cellular response to the organisms. Blastospores were more rapidly and consistently fatal to mice than the hyphae. Relatively more hyphal elements than blastospores were initially localised in the lungs but more blastospores than hyphal elements were trapped in the liver. The cells of both forms were more effectively killed in the lungs than in other organs. Blastospores initially found in the kidneys increased rapidly in numbers, but hyphal inocula either grew slowly in the kidneys or were eliminated. After mice were challenged with either hyphae or blastospores the initial inflammatory response in the lungs and liver was predominantly of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, but macrophages were the first inflammatory cells to be seen in kidney sections. Peripheral blood counts showed a leukocytosis in mice of both groups although only blastospores resulted in increased numbers of circulating atypical lymphocytes. The results indicated that lungs may play a more important role than other reticuloendothelial organs in innate resistance to vascular invasion by either of the morphological forms of C. albicans, and macrophages may be crucial to host resistance to renal invasion by this fungus.

Model of experimental infection in healthy and immunosuppressed swiss albino mice (Mus musculus) using Candida albicans strains with different patterns of enzymatic activity

“…counts, if compared to the other organs. These data agree with reports in the literature, which emphasize the efficiency of this organ to retain and eliminate viable structures of both Candida morphology (blastospores and pseudohypha) in models of experimental infection in vivo (5,6,18). In the present study, a correlation between the variation of c.f.u counts over the period of infection and pneumonitis was not observed.…”

Pathology of mycotic gastritis in a wild Indian freshwater/marsh crocodile (Mugger; Crocodylus palustris): a case report

“…In the present case, it is likely that the inflamed stomach of the crocodile together with starvation might have led to alteration of the pH to one favourable for Candida to become virulent and cause invasive gastric mycosis. The histological features of extensive fibrous tissue reaction in gastric mucosa accompanied with mononuclear cell infiltration comprising mainly lymphocytes and macrophages is in agreement with the findings of Evans (1980) who noted that hyphae stimulated mononuclear cell reactions mainly of lymphocytes and macrophages in experimental Candida albicans infection in mice.…”

Transcriptome profiling of endothelial cells during infections with high and low densities of C. albicans cells

“…However, other findings reported that even C. albicans null mutants locked into the hyphae form were avirulent (Lo et al, 1997;Braun and Johnson, 1997;Braun et al, 2000;Laprade et al, 2002). In addition, non-mutant yeast cells were found to cause higher and faster mortality in mice (Evans, 1980) and adhered to endothelial cells more efficiently under flow conditions in vitro (Grubb et al, 2009) than hyphae cells. This suggests that the yeast morphological form cannot be dismissed as avirulent and both the hyphae and the yeast forms have critical roles in endothelial invasion.…”