Organ distribution and viability of Candida albicans in noncancerous and tumor-bearing (Lewis lung carcinoma) mice

Abstract

Lethality due to infection with Candida albicans is significantly delayed in mice bearing the transplanted Lewis lung carcinoma. When the distribution and growth of this microorganism in reticuloendothelial cell-rich organs was examined using live radioactive (14C) Candida cells and viable Candida colony-forming units as criteria for measurement, the following relationships were found. A smaller percentage of the C. albicans inoculum localized in the liver of tumor-bearing mice in comparison with noncancerous control mice, while a more rapid rate of Candida inactivation occurred in the liver of mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma than in control animals. Patterns qualitatively similar to, but quantitatively less pronounced than those seen with the liver were observed when the spleen and lungs of noncancerous and tumor-bearing mice were compared. In both groups of animals the kidneys were the only sites where detectable multiplication of the microorganism took place, and the rate of Candida growth was more rapid in the kidneys of control animals than in cancerous mice. Our results indicate that in mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma, decreased hepatic localization and increased killing of C. albicans occurs, and that these effects may reflect enhanced microbial destruction in fixed reticuloendothelial cells.