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A Rat Model of Neonatal Candidiasis Demonstrates the Importance of Lipases as Virulence Factors for Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis

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Abstract

The host factors that contribute to the increased susceptibility of preterm neonates to invasive candidiasis have not been fully identified. In addition, there has been a lack of suitable models to study this problem. We show that rat pups, similar to premature neonates, display increased susceptibility to experimental Candida albicans infection. Further, we find that both C. albicans and Candida parapsilosis lipase disruptant mutants exhibit decreased virulence in rat pups, demonstrating the utility of the model to evaluate the impact of specific genes in disease pathogenesis. Our findings highlight the contribution of lipases to the virulence of C. albicans and C. parapsilosis and provide a new system to study the increased susceptibility of neonates to Candida infections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY, USA

    David Trofa & Joshua D. Nosanchuk

  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY, USA

    David Trofa, Joshua D. Nosanchuk & David L. Goldman

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Golding 702, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA

    Lamia Soghier, Christina Long & David L. Goldman

  4. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

    Attila Gacser

Authors
  1. David Trofa
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  2. Lamia Soghier
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  3. Christina Long
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  4. Joshua D. Nosanchuk
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  5. Attila Gacser
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  6. David L. Goldman
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Correspondence to David L. Goldman.

Additional information

D. Trofa and L. Soghier contributed equally to this manuscript and should be considered co-first authors.

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Trofa, D., Soghier, L., Long, C. et al. A Rat Model of Neonatal Candidiasis Demonstrates the Importance of Lipases as Virulence Factors for Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis . Mycopathologia 172, 169–178 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-011-9429-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-011-9429-3

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