title: A rat model of neonatal candidiasis demonstrates the importance of lipases as virulence factors for Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis.
abstract: The host factors that contribute to the increased susceptibility of preterm neonates to invasive candidiasis have not been fully identified. In addition, there has been a lack of suitable models to study this problem. We show that rat pups, similar to premature neonates, display increased susceptibility to experimental Candida albicans infection. Further, we find that both C. albicans and Candida parapsilosis lipase disruptant mutants exhibit decreased virulence in rat pups, demonstrating the utility of the model to evaluate the impact of specific genes in disease pathogenesis. Our findings highlight the contribution of lipases to the virulence of C. albicans and C. parapsilosis and provide a new system to study the increased susceptibility of neonates to Candida infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trofa
authors.forename: Lamia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soghier
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Nosanchuk
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gacser
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002175:Candida / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D008049:Lipase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors; D008049:Lipase