Low virulence of a morphological Candida albicans mutant

The virulence of Candida albicans 92', a morphological mutant unable to filament, was assayed in an experimental model of systemic candidiasis in three strains of mice with different susceptibilities to the infection. The mortality parameters studied pointed to the low virulence of this mutant strain. Study of the fungal load of C. albicans 92' in kidneys and brain revealed the presence of low numbers of CFUs and a high percentage of clearance, particularly in the brain. Adhesion studies demonstrated a reduced capability of the mutant to adhere to human epithelial cells. This strain can be considered a potential tool for cloning genes involved in virulence.