Experimental hematogenous endophthalmitis caused by Candida albicans.

For a rabbit model of hematogenous endophthalmitis caused by Candida, 80 New Zealand white rabbits were given intravenous injections of 10-5 Candida albicans. Two weeks after infection 88 percent of infected rabbits had ocular lesions with clinical appearance identical to that of human lesions. Cultures of the chorioretina and kidneys averaged 10-4.3 and 10-3.9 organisms per g of tissue, respectively, three days after infection and remained positive for 38 days. Ninety-five percent of rabbits with positive cultures of the chorioretina had positive cultures from other organs. The ocular lesions were focal chorioretinitis characterized by a combination of granulomatous and acute suppurative reactions. Hematogenous endophthalmitis caused by Candida in the rabbit is a useful model for study of the pathogenesis and treatment of the disease in humans.