Adherence of Candida albicans to bladder mucosa: development and application of a tissue explant assay

In order to study the interactions between Candida species and uroepithelia l tissue, a tissue explant assay was developed using bladder mucosa harvest ed from New Zealand white rabbits. Blastoconidia of Candida albicans, Candi da tropicalis and Candida glabrata attached to the uroepithelial tissue in similar quantities. However? there was significantly more adherence to the uroepithelium by pre-germinated C. albicans compared with C. albicans blast oconidia. Furthermore, the amount of uroepithelial tissue injury was direct ly related to the length of exposure of the tissue to Candida. Thus, this t issue explant assay may provide a useful method for investigating propertie s related to fungal adherence to transitional uroepithelium and organism-me diated tissue injury.