title: Outcome of experimental rat vaginitis by Candida albicans isolates with different karyotypes.
abstract: Candida albicans isolates with different genomic background, designed as b and c karyotypes, have been previously shown to differentially modulate their response to macrophage candidacidal activity. While b-type isolates were susceptible to intracellular killing, strains with c karyotype survived upon internalization and were able to replicate inside macrophages. Furthermore, it was also shown that c type strains escape microglial cell mediated growth inhibition, suggesting that these strains form a more virulent cluster. In this report, the pathogenicity exerted by C. albicans isolates with b and c karyotypes was analyzed in vivo using a model of experimental rat vaginitis. Although both types induced infection, c-type-infected animals suffered from more persistent vaginitis, confirming the higher virulence potential the c karyotype exerted in vivo. The analysis of fungal cells recovered from vaginal fluids of infected animals indicated that c-type was more prone to undergo morphogenesis and to express SAP2 than b-type; these different traits may account for the differences observed in the outcome of experimental rodent vaginitis induced by the two C. albicans karyotypes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. atavanti@biologia.unipi.it
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tavanti
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Campa
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arancia
authors.forename: Lambert A M
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hensgens
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Bernardis
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Senesi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014627:Vaginitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence