Antimicrobial agent, tetracycline, enhanced upper alimentary tract Candida albicans infection and its related mucosal proliferation in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

Alloxan-induced diabetic rats showed proliferative changes in the forestomach, accompanied by chronic inflammation, and one lesion progress to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) without distant metastasis. The authors demonstrated that these lesions might be caused by Candida albicans infection. Antimicrobial therapy, particularly tetracycline treatment, has been blamed for a reduction in the number of competing bacterial organisms, which is frequently mentioned as a cause of candidiasis. The objective of this study is to ascertain whether or not tetracycline treatment can accelerate early-onset of C. albicans infection and the proliferative changes in this diabetic model. Alloxan-induced diabetic rats were given chlorinated water (AL group) and tetracycline solution (0.1% during week 1 and 0.01% thereafter) as drinking water (AT group). They were sacrificed after 25 weeks of drinking the treated water. The infection rate with C. albicans in the AT group was significantly higher than in the AL group. The incidence and severity of the squamous cell hyperplasia were enhanced in the AT group compared to the AL group. The proliferative lesions were consistently accompanied by inflammation and C. albicans infection in both groups. SCC was detected in one case in the AT group. These findings demonstrate that tetracycline induces C. albicans infection and enhances forestomach proliferative lesions in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.