Systemic candidiasis in Sprague-Dawley rats.

A reproducible model of a generalized Candida albicans infection was established in rats to allow a precise evaluation of the efficacy of antifungal compounds. In contrast to the intravenous C. albicans model in mice, which serves as a primary model for in vivo efficacy studies of antimycotic compounds, the infectious process in Sprague-Dawley rats is more severely spread into organs other than the kidneys, such as brain, heart, liver, lung, retina and spleen. Apart from a severe granulomatous nephritis beginning 1 day after infection, we observed a severe pneumonitis 3 days after infection with a mass of extravasal erythrocytes in the interstitium and the alveolar space. In addition, multiple nodular lesions could be observed in the brain, heart, liver, retina and spleen on the first day after infection. Lethality was 100% within 1 week, the majority of deaths occurring from 5 to 7 days. Antifungal therapy with amphotericin B or fluconazole led to long-term survival over 4 months, which could not be achieved in mice.