Experimental Rhodotorulosis infection in rats

The low pathogenicity of Rhodotorula spp. is probably related to its reduced ability to grow at 37 °C, an attribute typically enhancing virulence of pathogenic strains. Animal experimentation is a valuable tool to study the pathogenesis of unusual human mycosis, such as Rhodotorula infection. The authors describe the first experimental model of disseminated Rhodotorula infection described in the literature and comment the relevant histopathologic aspects of the infection. Our results showed that the most affected organs by R. mucilaginosa were the lungs, spleen, and especially the liver which presented severe degree of infection. Considering the animals were highly immunocompromised, histopathology of the involved affected organs revealed few epithelioid cells and multinuclear giant cells in association with abundant yeast forms with occasional granuloma formation.