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Protection of Mice from Lethal Endogenous Candida albicans Infection by Immunization with Candida Membrane Antigen
Author(s) -
Tansho Shigeru,
Abe Shigeru,
Mizutani Shigetoshi,
Ono Yasuo,
Takesako Kazutoh,
Yamaguchi Hideyo
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2002.tb02700.x
Subject(s) - candida albicans , systemic candidiasis , immunization , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , corpus albicans , prednisolone , immunology , active immunization , antigen , medicine
The protective effects of immunization with Candida membrane antigen (CMA) on a systemic infection originating from intestinally colonized Candida albicans were examined. The colonization of orally inoculated C. albicans in the intestinal tract was established in BALB/c mice that had been concomitantly treated with oral doses of antibacterial drugs. In these animals, a systemic dissemination of C. albicans with fatal outcome was induced by a repeated dosing of prednisolone. In this endogenous infection model, the effects of immunization by CMA on the infection were examined. CMA‐immunized mice showed a longer lifespan than unimmunized mice. The protective effect of CMA immunization in immunosuppressed mice was also measured by a decrease in body weight loss after treatment with prednisolone and in the number of viable Candida cells in the target organs, the kidneys and livers. However, the CFU of C. albicans in the intestinal tract was not significantly lowered. These results suggest that CMA immunization inhibited the dissemination of systemic Candida infection from the intestinal tract induced by treatment with prednisolone.