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A Neonatal Imaging Model of Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis
Published on: August 12, 2020
A murine model for disseminated candidiasis in neonates
Nancy Y Tsai1, Sonia S Laforce-Nesbitt, Richard Tucker
1Department of Pediatrics, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02905, USA.
Pediatric Research
|November 25, 2010
Summary
Researchers developed a new mouse model for neonatal candidiasis. This model helps study fungal infections in newborns and test new antifungal treatments, showing reduced mortality with a specific Candida albicans mutant.
Area of Science:
- Medical Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Neonatal Immunology
Background:
- Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen causing invasive infections in immunocompromised individuals, particularly neonates.
- There is a critical need for a reliable animal model to study neonatal disseminated candidiasis and host-pathogen interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and validate a neonatal mouse model for studying disseminated candidiasis.
- To investigate the role of Candida albicans adhesin Als3p in a neonatal infection model.
Main Methods:
- 2-day-old BALB/c mouse pups were inoculated intraperitoneally with varying doses of Candida albicans or saline.
- Mortality was monitored, and surviving pups were assessed for disseminated infection via organ homogenization, plating, and histological examination at 72 hours.
- Infection with a Candida albicans mutant lacking Als3p was compared to wild-type.
Main Results:
- Intraperitoneal injection of Candida albicans caused dose-dependent mortality in neonatal mice.
- Disseminated infection was confirmed through quantitative cultures and histology of kidneys, lungs, and brains.
- A Candida albicans mutant lacking Als3p showed significantly reduced mortality compared to wild-type (p = 0.03).
Conclusions:
- A reproducible neonatal mouse model for disseminated candidiasis has been established.
- This model is suitable for investigating neonatal antifungal defenses and evaluating novel therapeutic strategies.
- The cell surface adhesin Als3p plays a role in the virulence of Candida albicans in this neonatal model.
