Comparison of pathogenicity of various Candida albicans and C. stellatoidea strains

In order to clarify the pathogenicity and the pathogenic factors of various Candida species strains, three strains, NIH A-207 and J-1012 (serotype A), and NIH B-792 (serotype B) of Candida albicans and two strains, ATCC 20408 (karyotype II) and ATCC 36232 (karyotype I) of C. stellatoidea, a synonym for C. albicans, were tested for their lethality to mice, adherence to Hela cells, hydrophobicity, and cell growth under acidic conditions, pH 2.0-5.9. The pathogenicity for mice of all the strains was observed in the order NIH B-792, ATCC 36232, J-1012, NIH A-207, and ATCC 20408. The pathogenicity for mice by all the strains used was well correlated with adherence to the Hela cells, the hydrophobicity, and the cell growth under the acidic condition, pH 2.0. These results emphasize that these specific properties of the C. albicans and C. stellatoidea strains play an important role in the pathogenesis of candidosis.