A murine model for disseminated candidiasis in neonates.

Candida albicans is the leading fungal pathogen causing invasive disease in immunocompromised patients including the neonate. A reliable animal model for disseminated candidiasis in the neonate is needed to study the unique aspects of this host-pathogen interaction. To establish such a model, 2-d-old BALB/c mouse pups were given i.p. injections with varied inocula of C. albicans or saline control. Pups were examined every 3-8 h for death. Surviving pups were killed at 72 h. Kidney, lung, spleen, liver, and brain were homogenized and plated for colony counts and/or fixed for histological staining. The i.p. injection of C. albicans led to mortality in a dose-dependent fashion. Disseminated infection was confirmed by colony counts of homogenized kidney, lung, and brain, as well as by histological examination. Infection with a C. albicans mutant lacking the cell surface adhesin, Als3p, led to significant reduction in mortality relative to WT (p = 0.03). This model will be useful to study the unique aspects of antifungal defense in a neonatal host and will provide a means to test novel therapeutic strategies.