Action of chlorhexidine on budding Candida albicans: scanning and transmission electron microscopic study.

Chlorhexidine is widely used as a bacterial drug whose method of action has been well described in bacteria. Its fungicidal properties have been proved. We show here the effects of a sublethal dose of a preparation of digluconate of chlorhexidine on budding Candida albicans. A fungistatic action is revealed by a decrease in the percentage of budding cells, and two main types of alterations can be observed with transmission electron microscopy (T.E.M.): a loss of cytoplasmic components and a coagulation of nucleoproteins. With scanning electron microscopy (S.E.M.), the cell walls show morphological modifications.