A modified method for experimental candidosis in mice avoiding lethality

• Published in: Mycoses Vol. 35; no. 3-4; p. 83
• Main Authors: Hänel, H, Raether, W, Uphoff, M, Braun, B, Kalisch, J, Pastowsky, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.03.1992
• Subjects: Animals; Candida albicans - pathogenicity; Candidiasis - microbiology; Disease Models, Animal; Kidney Diseases - microbiology; Mice
• ISSN: 0933-7407
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0507.1992.tb00824.x

A model is presented which selected one out of 150 Candida albicans strains for the evaluation of antifungal agents. The mice were inoculated with 6 x 10(5) CFU of strain 352 into the tail vein. The strain has a moderate phospholipase B (PLB) activity in vitro and was originally isolated from a stool sample from a patient in an intensive care unit. This infection leads to very little suffering in the infected animals during the 6-day observation period. Kidney counts at day 5 after infection can give a first indication for a possible fungistatic mechanism. Possible interesting drugs can then be evaluated by a second set of experiments using a longer observation time to investigate the compounds for fungicidal properties. The model suggests that screening for systemic antifungals by avoiding lethality of mice in the first place can be done.