Experimental Urinary Tract Infection in Rats Caused by Candida albicans

The increased clinical use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, immunosuppressives, and anti-inflammatory agents is thought to have contributed to the increased incidence of renal infections due to Candida albicans. To aid in the search for improved anticandidal agents, we developed an experimental model in which C. albicans is injected into the medulla of the surgically exposed kidney of the rat. The ensuing infection is restricted to the urinary tract and can be treated successfully with amphotericin B. This model promises to be of merit in the evaluation of agents potentially useful in treating candidiasis of the urinary tract.