title: A Murine Model of Candida glabrata Vaginitis Shows No Evidence of an Inflammatory Immunopathogenic Response.
abstract: Candida glabrata is the second most common organism isolated from women with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), particularly in women with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. However, mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of C. glabrata-associated VVC are unknown and have not been studied at any depth in animal models. The objective of this study was to evaluate host responses to infection following efforts to optimize a murine model of C. glabrata VVC. For this, various designs were evaluated for consistent experimental vaginal colonization (i.e., type 1 and type 2 diabetic mice, exogenous estrogen, varying inocula, and co-infection with C. albicans). Upon model optimization, vaginal fungal burden and polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) recruitment were assessed longitudinally over 21 days post-inoculation, together with vaginal concentrations of IL-1β, S100A8 alarmin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and in vivo biofilm formation. Consistent and sustained vaginal colonization with C. glabrata was achieved in estrogenized streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic mice. Vaginal PMN infiltration was consistently low, with IL-1β, S100A8, and LDH concentrations similar to uninoculated mice. Biofilm formation was not detected in vivo, and co-infection with C. albicans did not induce synergistic immunopathogenic effects. This data suggests that experimental vaginal colonization of C. glabrata is not associated with an inflammatory immunopathogenic response or biofilm formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.
authors.forename: Evelyn E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Nash
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Craniofacial Biology, Dental School, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Craniofacial Biology, Dental School, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Lilly
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.|Department of Oral and Craniofacial Biology, Dental School, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.|Prosthodontics, Dental School, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mairi C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Noverr
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.|Department of Oral and Craniofacial Biology, Dental School, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Fidel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018441:Biofilms; D041221:Candida glabrata / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice