Pathogenicity of Candida krusei and Candida albicans in the tongue of rats

The aim of the present study was to compare the potential of Candida krusei and C. albicans to colonize and infect the oral mucosa in a conventional rat model. Thirty adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were inoculated orally with 0.1 mL of yeast suspension (3.10**8 CFU/mL). After 3 weeks, histological sections of tongues were stained with PAS and Grocott's staining. Characteristic histological changes of mucosal candidosis were discernible on the lingual mucosa of rats infected with C. albicans and C. krusei including parakeratosis, microabscess formation and polymorph infiltration of the lingual epithelium. Although both species produced fungal hyphae that penetrated the epithelium, C. albicans hyphae tended to be relatively more profuse. The study indicated the better ability of C. albicans to colonize and infect the oral mucosa compared with C. krusei.