Yeast Adherence in the Pathogenesis of Candida Endocarditis 1

Abstract The role of yeast adherence in the pathogenesis of Candida endocarditis was examined with both in vitro and in vivo techniques. Candida albicans consistently adhered better than C. krusei to the constituents of nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE), fibrin, and platelets, in vitro. C. krusei adherence to NBTE was 14-24% of that observed withC. albicans (P < 0.001) by two different methods. These differences correlated directly with the propensity of each organism to produce endocarditis in vivo. The infectious dose for 50% of the animals (ID50) for experimental endocarditis in rabbits by C. albicans was 105.24, this was significantly lower (P < 0.001) than the ID50 observed with C. krusei (107.47). Enhanced yeast adherence to NBTE may be an important virulence factor in fungal endocarditis as it is in streptococcal endocarditis.