FACTORS AFFECTING PLAQUE-FORMATION BY CANDIDA-ALBICANS INFECTING CHICK CHORIOALLANTOIC MEMBRANE

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 14  (JUL) , 149-154
Abstract
The numbers of plaques formed by C. albicans in replicate inocula on the chick chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM) was not related to the size of the inocula. Washing the CAM with saline 1 h after inoculation recovered only 10% of the inoculum. After 5 h cells could not be recovered by washing. Counts on serial dilutions of homogenized eggs after inoculation showed that the organisms retained their viability within the egg. Failure of the inoculum to recover despite survival of the organisms appears to be due to adhesion of the inoculum to the CAM and cohesion of the inoculum to form clumps. Clumps of at least 20 organisms are apparently needed to stimulate the CAM to proliferate and produce visible plaques. The clumping is random, and this accounts for the variation in the number of plaques. The production of plaques by the CAM may depend on the clumping of a sufficient number of organisms to produce a critical concentration of extra-cellular enzymes which aid penetration of the CAM by the invading hyphae. The relevance of this to the lesions of mucocutaneous candidiasis is considered.

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