STRAIN-DEPENDENT DIFFERENCES IN HOST RESPONSE TO CANDIDA-ALBICANS INFECTION IN MICE ARE RELATED TO ORGAN SUSCEPTIBILITY AND INFECTIOUS LOAD

After systemic infection with the yeast Candida albicans, inbred mice show substantial differences in mortality, organ colonization, and sev erity of tissue damage. To examine the relationships between these var iables, which are not directly correlated with each other, fungal colo nization of the kidneys and brain was enumerated in six inbred strains that exhibit different patterns of tissue damage and mortality. Mice lacking the fifth component of complement (C5) are highly susceptible to lethal challenge, and A/J and DBA/2 mice, both C5 deficient, showed the highest colony counts in the kidneys after challenge with 10(5) b lastoconidia. In contrast, colony counts in the brains of all six stra ins were equivalent at this challenge dose. A/J and DBA/2 mice died af ter challenge with 3 x 10(5) blastoconidia, but other strains showed a n increase in kidney colonization, and strain-dependent differences in clearance from the brain became evident. The data suggest that mortal ity in A/J and DBA/2 mice is related to an unusual susceptibility of t he kidneys to colonization by C. albicans and that there may be tissue -specific differences in host protective mechanisms.