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Updated: Oct 16, 2025
Longitudinal Follow-Up of Urinary Tract Infections and Their Treatment in Mice using Bioluminescence Imaging
Published on: June 14, 2021
Investigating Candida glabrata Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in Mice Using Bioluminescence Imaging
Sanne Schrevens1, Dominique Sanglard1
1Institute of Microbiology, University of Lausanne and University Hospital, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are quite common and mainly caused by bacteria such as Escherichia coli. However, when patients have urinary catheters, fungal infections comprise up to 15% of these types of infections. Moreover, fungal UTIs have a high mortality, due to rapid spreading of the fungi to the kidneys. Most fungal UTIs are caused by Candida species, among which Candida albicans and Candida glabrata are the most common. C. glabrata is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast, phylogenetically quite close to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Even though it is commonly isolated from the urinary tract and rapidly acquires resistance to antifungals, its pathogenesis has not been studied extensively in vivo. In vivo studies require high numbers of animals, which can be overcome by the use of non-invasive imaging tools. One such tool, bioluminescence imaging, has been used successfully to study different types of C. albicans infections. For C. glabrata, only biofilms on subcutaneously implanted catheters have been imaged using this tool. In this work, we investigated the progression of C. glabrata UTIs from the bladder to the kidneys and the spleen. Furthermore, we optimized expression of a red-shifted firefly luciferase in C. glabrata for in vivo use. We propose the first animal model using bioluminescence imaging to visualize C. glabrata in mouse tissues. Additionally, this UTI model can be used to monitor antifungal activity in vivo over time.
Insights
This study developed a new bioluminescence imaging method to track fungal urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Candida glabrata in mice. This non-invasive technique allows researchers to visualize infection spread and evaluate antifungal treatments effectively.
Area of Science:
- Medical Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Fungal urinary tract infections (UTIs), primarily caused by Candida species, are a significant concern, especially in catheterized patients.
- Candida glabrata is a common cause of fungal UTIs, known for its opportunistic pathogenicity and rapid development of antifungal resistance.
- Limited in vivo studies exist on C. glabrata pathogenesis, hindering the development of effective treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vivo progression of Candida glabrata UTIs from the bladder to deeper organs.
- To develop and optimize a non-invasive bioluminescence imaging (BLI) model for tracking C. glabrata infections in vivo.
- To establish a new animal model for studying C. glabrata pathogenesis and evaluating antifungal efficacy.
Main Methods:
- Optimization of red-shifted firefly luciferase expression in C. glabrata for enhanced BLI signal.
- Development of a mouse model to induce and monitor C. glabrata UTIs.
- Utilizing BLI to visualize and quantify C. glabrata dissemination in mouse tissues (bladder, kidneys, spleen).
Main Results:
- Successfully visualized the progression of C. glabrata UTIs in vivo using BLI.
- Demonstrated the ability of the optimized luciferase to effectively report on C. glabrata burden in different organs.
- Established a novel BLI-based animal model for studying C. glabrata infections.
Conclusions:
- The developed BLI model provides a powerful non-invasive tool for studying C. glabrata pathogenesis and spread.
- This model enables real-time monitoring of antifungal drug activity in vivo.
- Further research using this model can accelerate the development of new therapies for invasive fungal UTIs.
