Response of Immunosuppressed Mice to Intravenous Infection of Candida Albicans

Objective : In order to observe the response of immunosuppressed mice to intravenous infection of C. albicans. Methods :The mice were fed with senna leaf decoction for seven days until the mice appeared some symptoms, such as diarrhea, bad appetite, emaciation and inactivity. Then the mice were injected C. albicans intravenously. The survival days of mice were observed for three weeks and the amount of live C. albicans in kidneys was calculated. The carbon particle clearance test and serum concentration of hemolysin were determined. Results :The results suggest that C. albicans can suppress the immune function of the normal mice significantly. The phagocytosis of macrophages and the production of antibodies fell obviously. The survival days of senna-treated mice were sharply shorted after the infection of C. albicans and the amount of C. albicans in kidneys was increased. In contrast, the survival days of the normal mice were not different after the infection of C. albicans. Conclusion : It means that C. albicans is lethal to immunosuppressed mice.