Does Candida Escape Antifungal Treatment in the Gallbladder?

Candida albicans is an important fungal pathogen that can cause life-threatening systemic infection. In some patients, candidemia persists despite appropriate antifungal treatment; the focus of infection often remains unclear in such cases. To investigate this phenomenon, researchers in Germany used a murine model and in vivo imaging with bioluminescent C. albicans, which allowed temporal and spatial observation of disease development in individual animals.

Twenty-four hours after the mice were infected intravenously with Candida, intensity of the fungal bioluminescent signal was greatest in the kidneys. Placebo-group animals quickly developed clinical symptoms of severe disease and had to be euthanized 56 to 72 hours postinfection. The fung…