Pathogenicity Levels of Colombian Strains of and Brazilian Strains of Species Complex in Both Murine and Experimental Models.

and complex ( var. and ) are phylogenetically related species that share some physiological features and habits. In the present study, we compared the virulence of these yeast species using two different experimental models: (i) larvae to evaluate the survival rate, fungal burden, histopathology and phagocytosis index and (ii) BALB/c mice to evaluate the survival. In addition, the fungal capacity to form biofilm over an inert surface was analyzed. Our results showed that in both experimental models, the animal survival rate was lower when infected with strains than the species complex. The hemocytes of showed a significantly reduced ability to phagocytize the most virulent strains forming the species complex. Interestingly, for , it was impossible to measure the phagocytosis index due to a general lysis of the hemocytes. Moreover, it was observed a greater capability of biofilm formation by compared to species complex. In conclusion, we observed that and complex have different levels of pathogenicity in the experimental models employed in the present study.