Mammary gland contamination as a means of establishing long-term gastrointestinal colonization of infant mice with Candida albicans.

Infant outbred CD-1 mice were infected intragastrically with Candida albicans by inoculating the mammary glands of the lactating mothers with viable blastospores and allowing the infants to suckle. Levels of colonization were determined by quantitative cultures of stomachs and selected organs at various intervals up to 6 weeks after infection. The results demonstrate that a high percentage of infant mice can be colonized in this manner and that the colonization is of long duration. Although systemic spread of the yeast to other visceral organs did occur, the numbers of yeasts recovered were minimal.