Effect of experimental diabetes on the development and maintenance of vulvovaginal candidiasis in female rats.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to develop an experimental model of diabetes in female rats and verify its influence on vulvovaginal candidiasis.


METHODS
The animals were divided into control and diabetic groups. Diabetes was induced with the use of an intravenous solution of alloxan (42 mg/kg bodyweight). One week after confirmation of hyperglycemia, the inoculation of Candida albicans yeast, previously standardized from a vaginal isolate, in concentrations of about 5 x 10(8), was performed. Infection control was made through vaginal culture, Papanicolaou cytology, and scanning electron microscopy (SCEM).


RESULTS
The results pointed to different glycemias between the control (74.8 +/- 2.6) and experimental groups (543.1 +/- 12.1) and a significant bodyweight decrease (227.6 +/- 4.77 and 204 +/- 6.39, respectively). The positive infection was shown by culture, Papanicolaou test, and SCEM in the experimental group.


CONCLUSIONS
Diabetes mellitus causes hyperglycemia, which was favorable to the vaginal colonization and infection by C albicans.
Carrara
Márcia A
MA
Postgraduate Program in Clinical Analyses, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Brazil.
Bazotte
Roberto B
RB
Donatti
Lucélia
L
Svidzinski
Terezinha I E
TI
Consolaro
Márcia E L
ME
Patussi
Eliana V
EV
Batista
Márcia R
MR
D000818:Animals; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000209:etiology*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar