Fungal morphology after treatment with itraconazole as a single oral dose in experimental vaginal candidosis in rats.

The therapeutic effect of a single, oral dose of itraconazole was studied in rats inoculated intravaginally with Candida albicans and in which an established vaginal infection was present. We used light microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy to document the structural alterations in the 3 days after treatment. The most important observations include the speed (within 24 hours) with which itraconazole inhibits the further penetration of the fungus into the vaginal squamous epithelium, the ability of the drug to reach and structurally alter intracellularly located fungal elements, and the prolonged drug effect of a single dose leading to complete eradication of the fungus from the vagina within 3 days.