A Xenopus laevis Model for Systemic Fungal Infections

Xenopus laevis shows higher lethality from human-pathogenic fungi Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus than from nonpathogenic Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

• Why it matters: A vertebrate infection model is needed to test fungal virulence, host immune responses, and antifungal efficacy in a system with both innate and adaptive immunity.
• What they did: Frogs were infected with fungal strains, then fungal burden in blood and organs, kidney lesions/hyphae, and renal expression of tnf, il1b, and clu were assessed; survival was tested with amphotericin B and micafungin, and with a UME6 deletion mutant.
• The result: C. albicans infection produced early viable dissemination and kidney hyphae, increased renal proinflammatory and injury-associated gene expression, and antifungal treatment significantly improved survival; UME6 deletion reduced lethality versus wild type.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.