Experimental Hematogenous Endophthalmitis Caused by Candida albicans

Abstract

For a rabbit model of hematogenous endophthalmitis caused by Candida, 80 New Zealand white rabbits were given intravenous injections of 10⁵Candida albicans. Two weeks after infection 88% 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.