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Study of Microbial Interaction Formed by "Candida krusei" and "Candida glabrata": "In Vitro" and "In Vivo" Studies

Abstract

Recently, the non-albicans Candida species have become recognized as an important source of infection and oral colonization by association of different species in a large number of immunosuppressed patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interactions between C. krusei and C. glabrata in biofilms formed in vitro and their ability to colonize the oral cavity of mouse model. Monospecies and mixed biofilms were developed of each strain, on 96-well microtiter plates for 48 h. These biofilms were analyzed by counting colony-forming units (CFU/mL) and by determining cell viability, using the XTT hydroxide colorimetric assay. For the in vivo study, twenty-four mice received topical applications of monospecie or mixed suspensions of each strain. After 48 h, yeasts were recovered from the mice and quantified by CFU/mL count. In the biofilm assays, the results for the CFU/mL count and the XTT assay showed that the two species studied were capable of forming high levels of in vitro monospecie biofilm. In mixed biofilm, the CFU of C. krusei increased (p=0.0001) and C. glabrata decreased (p=0.0001). The metabolic activity observed in XTT assay of mixed biofilm was significantly reduced compared with a single C. glabrata biofilm (p=0.0001). Agreeing with CFU in vitro count, C. glabrata CFU/mL values recovered from oral cavity of mice were statistically higher in the group with single infection (p=0.0001) than the group with mixed infection. We concluded that C. krusei inhibits C. glabrata and takes advantage to colonize the oral cavity and to form biofilms.

Key Words:
Candida krusei; Candida glabrata; biofilms; experimental candidiasis; murine model

Resumo

Recentemente, as espécies não albicans tem se tornado uma importante fonte de infecção e de colonização oral pela associação de espécies em um grande número de pacientes imunossuprimidos. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a interação entre C. krusei e C. glabrata em biofilmes formados in vitro e sua capacidade em colonizar a cavidade oral em modelo de camundongo. Biofilmes monoespécies e mistos foram formados em placas de 96 poços por 48 h. Esses biofilmes foram analisados pela contagem de UFC/mL e pela determinação da viabilidade celular, usando ensaio de XTT. Para o estudo in vivo, vinte e quatro camundongos receberam aplicações tópicas de suspensões monoespécies e mistas de cada espécie. Após 48 h, as leveduras foram recuperadas dos camundongos e quantificadas por UFC/mL. Nos ensaios de biofilme, os resultados da contagem de UFC/mL e do ensaio de XTT mostraram que as duas espécies estudadas foram capazes de formar grande quantidade de biofilme monoespécie in vitro. Nos biofilmes mistos, a UFC/mL de C. krusei aumentou (p=0,0001) e de C. glabrata diminuiu (p=0,0001). A atividade metabólica observada no ensaio de XTT nos biofilmes mistos foi significantemente reduzida comparada com o biofilme formado apenas de C. glabrata (p=0,0001). Concordado com as contagens in vitro, os valores de UFC/mL de C. glabrata recuperados da cavidade oral dos camundongos foram estatisticamente maior no grupo com infecção simples (p=0,0001) do que do grupo com infecção mista. Nós concluímos que C. krusei inibe C. glabrata e possui vantagem em colonizar a cavidade oral e formar biofilmes.

Introduction

Some decades ago, Candida albicans represented 80% of the Candida species recovered from patients with oral and systemic candidiasis. Although C. albicans continues to be the most frequently isolated species, the number of infections caused by non-albicans species has increased significantly 11 Silva, S; Henriques, M; Hayes, A; Oliveira, R; Azeredo, J; Williams, DW. Candida glabrata and Candida albicans co-infection of an in vitro oral epithelium. J Oral Pathol Med 2011;40:421-427.. Furthermore, C. glabrata has emerged as the second most common cause of candidemia, followed by C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis and C. krusei22 MacPhail, GL; Taylor, GD; Buchanan-Chell, M; Ros,s C; Wilson, S; Kureishi, A. Epidemiology, treatment and outcome of candidemia: a five-year review at three Canadian hospitals. Mycoses 2002;45:141-145..

One of the major factors contributing to the virulence of Candida is its ability in acclimatize to a variety of different habitats for growth and formation of surface-attached microbial communities known as “biofilms”. Biofilms are defined as microbial communities encased in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), which display phenotypic features that differ from their planktonic or free-floating counterparts 33 Peeters, E; Nelis, HJ; Coenye, T. Comparison of multiple methods for quantification of microbial biofilms grown in microtiter plates. J Microbiol Methods 2008;72:157-165. ,44 Pereira-Cenci, T; Del Bel Cury, AA; Crielaard, W; Ten Cate, JM. Development of Candida-associated denture stomatitis: new insights. J Appl Oral Sci 2008;16:86-94.,55 de Mello, TP; de Souza Ramos L; Braga-Silva, LA; Branquinha, MH; Dos Santos, AL. Fungal biofilm - A real obstacle against an efficient therapy: lessons from Candida. Curr Top in Med Chem 2017;17:1-18.. It is known that C. glabrata exhibits intrinsically low susceptibility to azoles and develops resistance after exposure to these drugs 66 Tumbarello, M; Sanguinetti, M; Trecarichi, EM; La Sorda, M; Rossi, M; de Carolis, E; et al.. Fungaemia caused by Candida glabrata with reduced susceptibility to fluconazole due to altered gene expression: risk factors, antifungal treatment and outcome. J Antimicrob Chemother 2008;62:1379-1385. and C. krusei is naturally resistant to fluconazole, but in most cases, it is sensitive to voriconazole (cross-resistance is uncommon in this specie) 77 Drago, M; Scaltrito, MM; Morace, G; GISIA-2 Group. In vitro activity of voriconazole and other antifungal agents against clinical isolates of Candida glabrata and Candida krusei. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2004;23:619-624. ,88 Freitas, EM; Monteiro, LC; Fernandes, MB; Martelli Junior, H; Bonan, PR; Nobre, SA. Antifungal susceptibility in vitro determined by the Etest® for Candida obtained from the oral cavity of irradiated and elderly individuals. Braz Dent J 2015;26:99-104., which complicates the treatment of candidiasis caused by this species. Because of that, it is important to know the behavior of these species when they grow together in a biofilm.

Recently, Rossoni et al. 99 Rossoni, RD; Barbosa, JO; Vilela, SFG; Santos, JD; Barros, PP; Prata, MCA; et al.. Competitive interactions between C. albicans, C. glabrata and C. krusei during biofilm formation and development of experimental candidiasis. PLoS One 2015;10:e0131700. and Barros et al. 1010 Barros, PP; Ribeiro, FC; Rossoni, RD; Junqueira, JC; Jorge, AOC. Influence of Candida krusei and Candida glabrata on Candida albicans gene expression in in vitro biofilms. Arch Oral Biol 2016;64:92-101. evaluated the interaction of C. albicans associated with C. krusei and C. glabrata in biofilm formation. Both of the studies suggest that these interactions decrease the ability of C. albicans to form biofilm. Moreover, Santos et al. 1111 Santos, JD; Piva, E; Vilela, SFG; Jorge, AOC; Junqueira, JC. Mixed biofilms formed by C. albicans and non-albicans species: a study of microbial interactions. Braz Oral Res 2016;30. pii: S1806-83242016000100232. studied the interaction between C. albicans, C. krusei, C. glabrata and C. tropicalis. Among the species tested, C. krusei exerted the highest inhibitory action against C. albicans. However, none of above studies evaluated the interaction between non-albicans Candida species.

There is just one study that investigated the in vitro interaction between C. krusei and C. glabrata1212 Pathak, AK; Sharma, S; Shrivastva, P. Multi-species biofilm of Candida albicans and non-Candida albicans Candida species on acrylic substrate. J Appl Oral Sci 2012;20:70-75. and our study is the first one that has additional in vitro data and also in vivo. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the interactions between C. krusei and C. glabrata in in vitro biofilms and its ability to colonize the oral cavity of mice.

Material and Methods

Strains and Culture Conditions

For this study, we used C. krusei (ATCC 6258) and C. glabrata (ATCC 90030) strains provided from the Microbiology and Immunology Laboratory of the Institute of Science and Technology of São José dos Campos, UNESP-Univ. Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil. The strains were stored as frozen stocks with 20% glycerol at -80 °C. The strains were routinely grown in Yeast Nitrogen Base (YNB, Himedia, Mumbai, India) liquid medium at 37 °C in a shaking incubator.

The strains were grown on Sabouraud Dextrose agar (Himedia) and incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. Next, a loopful of growth was inoculated in Yeast Nitrogen Base (YNB) broth supplemented with 100 mM glucose (Vetec, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil) and incubated at 37 °C for 18 h. The cells were collected by centrifugation (MPW Med. Instruments, Warsaw, Poland) and washed three times with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (Laborclin, São José dos Pinhais, PR, Brazil). Yeast cells were counted using a Neubauer counting chamber (Laboroptik GmbH, Bad Homburg, Germany). The cell number was confirmed by determining CFU/mL on SDA plates (107 cells/mL).

Biofilm Formation In Vitro

The biofilm formation was performed as described by Seneviratne et al. 1313 Seneviratne, CJ; Silva, WJ; Jin, LJ; Samaranayke, LP. Architectural analysis, viability assessment and growth kinetics of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata biofilms. Arch Oral Biol 2009;54:2260-2269., with some modifications. Standardized suspension containing 107 cells/mL was prepared for each strain of Candida. The monotypic biofilm were formed by adding 200 μL of standardized suspension of C. krusei or C. glabrata to each well of flat-bottom 96-well microtiter plates (Costar Corning, New York, NY, USA). For mixed biofilm were added 100 μL of standardized suspension of C. krusei and 100 μL of standardized suspension of C. glabrata. For the initial stage of adhesion the plates were incubated for 90 min at 37 °C at 75 rpm in an orbital shaker (Quimis, Diadema, SP, Brazil). After this step, the cell suspensions were carefully aspirated and each well was washed twice with 200 μL of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) to remove any planktonic cells. Then, 200 μL of YNB with 100 mM of glucose were added, and the plates were incubated for 48 h at 37 °C in an orbital shaker. The liquid medium was replaced daily.

Analysis of Biofilm by Counting Colony Forming Units (CFU/mL)

After the biofilms formation, each well was washed four times with 200 μL of PBS. Next, 200 μL of PBS was added into each well plate and the biofilm cells were carefully scraped using a sterile pick. Subsequently, 100 μL aliquot was transferred to a tube (J Prolab, São José dos Pinhais, PR, Brazil) containing PBS. To disaggregate the cells on biofilms an ultrasonic homogenizer was used (Sonoplus HD 2200, Bandelin Electronic, Berlin, Germany) with output power of 50 W for 30 s. From the solution obtained in the microtubes, decimal dilutions of the biofilm suspension were performed and 100 mL aliquots of the dilutions were inoculated into Petri dishes containing chromogenic HiCromeCandida medium (Himedia), followed by incubation of the plates at 37 °C for 48 h. After incubation, Candida species from the mixed biofilms were differentiated by colony color on HiChrome Candida agar (cream for C. glabrata and purple for C. krusei) and the CFU/mL values were determined. For statistical analysis and comparison among the groups, the data of CFU/mL were converted to logarithmic form.

Analysis of Biofilm By Colorimetric Assay (XTT)

The biofilms formed were subjected to XTT assay (2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl-5-phenylalanino-carbonyl-2H-tetrazolium hydroxide), which assessed the presence of metabolically active yeast 1414 Jin, Y; Samaranayake, LP; Samaranayake, Y; Yip, HK. Biofilm formation of Candida albicans is variably affected by saliva and dietary sugars. Arch Oral Biol 2004;49:789-798. Each well containing the adhered biofilm was rinsed twice with 200 µL phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBS) to remove weakly adhered cells. Then, each of the wells was inoculated with 158 µL PBS, 40 µL XTT and 2 µL menadione. After incubation in the dark for 3 h at 37 °C, 100 µL of solution was transferred to a new plate and the colorimetric change of the solution was measured using a microplate reader (TP Reader; Thermoplate, Sdorf, Araras, SP, Brazil) at 490 nm 1414 Jin, Y; Samaranayake, LP; Samaranayake, Y; Yip, HK. Biofilm formation of Candida albicans is variably affected by saliva and dietary sugars. Arch Oral Biol 2004;49:789-798.

Candida Interactions in Mice

The Animal Research Ethics Committee from the Institute of Science and Technology at UNESP, approved this study under protocol number 014/2011 -PA/CEP. Twenty-four adult male mice (Mus musculus, albinus, Swiss), weighing between 30 and 60 g were included in this study. Animals were divided into 3 groups: C. krusei (n=8), C. glabrata (n=8), and C. krusei + C. glabrata (n=8). The design of the study of interaction between Candida species was performed according Rossoni et al. 99 Rossoni, RD; Barbosa, JO; Vilela, SFG; Santos, JD; Barros, PP; Prata, MCA; et al.. Competitive interactions between C. albicans, C. glabrata and C. krusei during biofilm formation and development of experimental candidiasis. PLoS One 2015;10:e0131700. and Takakura et al. 1515 Takakura, N; Sato, Y; Ishibashi, H; Oshima, H; Uchida, K; Yamaguchi, H; et al.. A novel murine model of oral candidiasis with local symptoms characteristic of oral thrush. Microbiol Immunol 2003;47:321-326. and is shown in Table 1. In summary, animals were immunosuppressed with 3 subcutaneous injections of prednisolone (Depo-Medrol; Pfizer Laboratories Ltd., Guarulhos, SP, Brazil) at 100 mg/kg of body weight alternated with two inoculations of Candida. Tetracycline chloride (Terramicina; Pfizer) was administered in the drinking water of the animals at a concentration of 0.83 mg/mL, beginning one day before infection and was maintained throughout the experiment. A 50 μL intramuscular injection of chlorpromazine chloride, equivalent to 10 mg/kg of body weight (Amplictil; Sanofi Aventis, Suzano, SP, Brazil) in each thigh was used to sedate the animals.

Table 1
Design of the study of the colonization between non-albicans Candida species in the immunosuppressed mice model

Each strain of Candida was cultured for 24 h at 37 °C on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (Himedia), and were re-suspended in 10 mL of PBS, subsequently being centrifuged at 358 xg for 10 min. The resulting pellet was re-suspended in 10 mL PBS and adjusted to 1x108 cells/mL after counting in a Neubauer chamber (Laboroptik). A sterile swab (Absorve; Cral, São Paulo, SP, Brazil) soaked in the Candida suspension was used to inoculate the sedated mice by rubbing the swab for 3 min on the tongue dorsum. For the groups with mixed infections, the same procedure was performed, but the swab was soaked in a standard mixed suspension containing 1x108 cells/mL for each Candida species.

In order to confirm the final concentration of each Candida species in the swab before the oral inoculation in mice, we performed another experiment for counting CFU/mL of Candida cells adhered to the swab. Therefore, after the sterile swab had been soaked in the Candida suspension, it was transferred to a falcon tube containing PBS and submitted to ultrasonic homogenizer for 30 s. A series of dilutions were made and plated in chromogenic medium HiCrome Candida (37 °C for 48 h) for quantification of CFU/mL for each Candida species.

Recovery of C. krusei and C. glabrata from the Tongue Dorsum of Mice

Samples from the oral cavity were collected with a swab and placed in a tube containing 0.9 mL of PBS and shaken for one min. Considering that the swab absorbed approximately 0.1 mL of saliva from the oral cavity of mice, this solution was estimated to be a 10-1 starting dilution of Candida from the soaked swab.

A series of dilutions were subsequently performed and 0.1 mL of each dilution was plated in duplicate onto the surface of plates containing chromogenic HiCrome Candida (Himedia) in order to differentiate the species recovered. Plates were incubated at 37 °C for 48 h and Candida colonies were counted to determine colony-forming units (CFU/mL).

Euthanasia of the Mice

The euthanasia of mice was performed within 2 days after the second inoculation with Candida, corresponding to 6 days of experiments. This procedure was performed by administration of an overdose of anesthetic.

Statistical Analysis

The CFU/mL data of in vitro biofilms of Candida and of experiments in mice were converted to logarithmic values and submitted Student t-test (p≤0.05).

Results

In biofilms formed in vitro at the bottom of 96-well plates it was observed that C. krusei and C. glabrata species were capable to form biofilms, reaching a median of 6.00 and 6.46 CFU/mL (log) in the monotypic biofilms, respectively. In the mixed biofilms, C. krusei showed significant higher number of CFU/mL (p=0.0001) and C. glabrata decreased (p=0.0001) compared to the single biofilm. These data indicate that the presence of C. krusei in the biofilm inhibited the growth of C. glabrata. The mean and standard deviation values of the CFU/mL obtained from the experiments described above are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1
Quantification of colonies in biofilms formed at the bottom of 96-well plates (in vitro study). Mean values and standard deviation of CFU/mL (log10) of C. krusei and C. glabrata, organized in single and mixed biofilms. Student t-test. C. krusei counts: statistically significant difference between biofilm formed only by C. krusei and biofilm formed by C. krusei+C. glabrata (***p<0.0001). C. glabrata counts: statistically significant difference between biofilm formed only by C. glabrata and biofilm formed by C. krusei+C. glabrata (***p<0.0001).

Regarding the colorimetric method based on XTT, which measured the metabolic activity of the biofilms formed, C. glabrata strain exhibited higher metabolic activity in relation to the C. krusei in single biofilms, with optical densities (OD490 nm) of 0.80±0.103 and 0.21±0.296, respectively (Fig. 2). When the above values were compared to the mixed biofilms (OD490 nm= 0.24±0.168), a significant reduction was observed of the metabolic activity of C. glabrata (p=0.0001), while the values for C. krusei remained almost unchanged (p=0.8116).

Figure 2
Mean values and standard deviation of the metabolic activity (XTT analysis) for single biofilms formed by C. krusei and C. glabrata, and for mixed biofilms formed by the interactions of C. krusei+C. glabrata. Student t-test: statistically significant differences between . glabrata (single biofilm) vs. C. glabrata+C. krusei (p=0.0001) and no difference between C. krusei (single biofilm) vs. C. glabrata+C. krusei (p = 0.8116).

Before the in vivo study, we did an assay to confirm the concentration of non-albicans Candida cells adhered to the swab. There was no difference on the capacity of C. krusei and C. glabrata to adhere the swab when they were soaked in both monotypic and heterotypic suspensions (p=0.5728) (Data not shown).

Samples from the oral cavity were collected and plated to count CFU/mL number. In the groups with single infections, we found values ranging from 6.05±0.27 CFU/mL (Log) for C. krusei and 4.49±0.22 CFU/mL (Log) for C. glabrata inoculations (Fig. 3). Both non-albicans species studied were capable to colonize the oral cavity of mice. Analyzing the C. krusei colonization profile in single and mixed infections, we observed that CFU/mL values were slightly higher in mixed infection (p=0.0913), with 6.30 CFU/mL values when compared to single infection (6.05 CFU/mL values). However, there was a significant reduction (p=0.0001) for C. glabrata in mixed infection (3.05 CFU/mL values) compared to single infection (4.49 CFU/mL values), agreeing with the in vitro results and suggesting an ecological interaction by competition between these two Candida species.

Figure 3
Quantification of fungal cells recovered from the buccal cavity of mice. Mean and standard deviation of the CFU/mL (Log) of C. krusei and C. glabrata recovered from the buccal cavity of immunosuppressed mice with single and mixed infections. Student-t test. CFU/mL of C. krusei: comparison between single infection by C. krusei and mixed infection by C. krusei+C. glabrata (p=0.0913); CFU/mL of C. glabrata: comparison between single infection by C. glabrata and mixed infection by C. krusei+C. glabrata (***p=0.0001).

Discussion

C. glabrata is generally considered a species of low virulence but with a higher mortality rate than C. albicans and is the most common non-albicans Candida isolated species 1616 Savastano, C; de Oliveira Silva, E; Gonçalves, LL; Nery, JM; Silva, NC; Dias, ALT. Candida glabrata among Candida spp. from environmental health practitioners of a Brazilian Hospital. Braz J Microbiol 2016;47:367-372.. The emergence of yeasts other than C. albicans and of mixed infections has suggested that the epidemiology of Candida infections is changing. Consequently, these infections may require higher doses of antifungal agents and may predispose patients to recurrent candidiasis, mainly because Candida species such as C. glabrata and C. krusei are becoming resistant to currently available antifungal treatments 1717 Thein, ZM; Seneviratne CJ; Samaranayake YH; Samaranayake, LP. Community lifestyle of Candida in mixed biofilms: a mini review. Mycoses 2009;52:467-475.,1818 Guinea ,J. Global trends in the distribution of Candida species causing candidemia. Clin Microbiol Infec 2014;20:5-10..

In this report, the interaction between C. krusei and C. glabrata was evaluated in in vitro biofilms and their ability to colonize the oral cavity of mice. In the in vitro study, the results obtained by counting CFU/mL show that C. krusei obtained higher growth when associated with C. glabrata compared to single species biofilm. However, C. glabrata was inhibited in the interaction compared with monotypic group. These data suggest that the growth of C. krusei was stimulated by the presence of C. glabrata. Most studies on polymicrobial biofilms have focused on the interaction between bacteria and Candida spp. or association between Candida albicans and non-albicans species. This is the first study that evaluate the interaction of C. krusei and C. glabrata in mixed biofilms.

In agreement with Kirkpatrick et al. 1919 Kirkpatrick, WR; Lopez-Ribot, JL; McAtee, RK; Patterson, TF. Growth competition between Candida dubliniensis and Candida albicans under broth and biofilm growing conditions. J Clin Microbiol 2000;38:902-904. and Thein et al. 2020 Thein, ZM; Seneviratne ,CJ; Samaranayake, YH; Samaranayake, LP. Community lifestyle of Candida in mixed biofilms: a mini review. Mycoses 2009;52:467-475., interaction of two Candida species seemed to suppress each other’s growth, possibly because they competed for nutrients and/or one of the species generated toxic metabolites. Competitive inhibition may occur even in the initial step of adhesion onto a substrate during dual-species Candida biofilm development 2020 Thein, ZM; Seneviratne ,CJ; Samaranayake, YH; Samaranayake, LP. Community lifestyle of Candida in mixed biofilms: a mini review. Mycoses 2009;52:467-475..

C. glabrata is a non-dimorphic specie and its biofilm is composed of scattered chains of cells with multiple blastospores embedded in thin extracellular matrix. In contrast, C. krusei biofilm maintained its ‘large American rice grain’ form devoid of hyphal elements, which yielded a thick multi-layer ultrastructure enveloped by voluminous extracellular material 2121 Parahitiyawa, NB; Samaranayake, YH; Samaranayake, LP; Ye, J; Tsang, PW, Cheung, BP; et al.. Interspecies variation in Candida biofilms formation studied using the Calgary biofilms device. APMIS 2006;114:298-306..

Taff et al. 2222 Taff, HT; Nett, JE; Andes, DR. Comparative analysis of Candida biofilm quantitation assays. Med Mycol 2012;50:214-218. observed that XTT reduction activity is associated with the CFU in the biofilm. Furthermore, this method is the most accurate and reproducible assay for biofilm quantification. In this study, we selected the XTT activity method to determine biofilm forming activity of Candida spp. Single biofilms produced by C. glabrata showed the highest metabolic activity than that produced by C. krusei, although it produced less biomass. These results were similar with other reports 1212 Pathak, AK; Sharma, S; Shrivastva, P. Multi-species biofilm of Candida albicans and non-Candida albicans Candida species on acrylic substrate. J Appl Oral Sci 2012;20:70-75.,2222 Taff, HT; Nett, JE; Andes, DR. Comparative analysis of Candida biofilm quantitation assays. Med Mycol 2012;50:214-218.,2323 Ferreira, AV; Prado, CG; Carvalho, RR; Dias, KS; Dias, AL. Candida albicans and non-C. albicans Candida species: comparison of biofilm production and metabolic activity in biofilms, and putative virulence properties of isolates from hospital environments and infections. Mycopathologia 2013;175:265-272.,2424 Muadcheingka, T; Tantivitayakul, P. Distribution of Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida species in oral candidiasis patients: correlation between cell surface hydrophobicity and biofilm forming activities. Arch Oral Biol 2015;60:894-901.. Consequently, C. glabrata cells in the biofilms seem to be metabolically more active than cells from other species that produce biofilms with more biomass. In mixed biofilms, the metabolic activity was reduced significantly in comparison with single biofilm of C. glabrata, and it was significantly similar to the single biofilm of C. krusei, suggesting a possible competition between the species. These findings corroborate with Pathak et al. 1212 Pathak, AK; Sharma, S; Shrivastva, P. Multi-species biofilm of Candida albicans and non-Candida albicans Candida species on acrylic substrate. J Appl Oral Sci 2012;20:70-75. that evaluated the interaction of these species by XTT assay and found C. krusei decreased the biofilm production of C. glabrata.

Considering that C. krusei was stimulated in mixed biofilm and C. glabrata had reduction in CFU counts, the present study was expanded to encompass the oral colonization of these species in mice models. Based on the CFU/mL data analysis of yeast recovered from the buccal cavity of immunosuppressed mice with single infections, the recovery observed were equivalent to 6.05 log10 for groups infected with C. krusei and 4.49 log10 for groups infected with C. glabrata, showing that C. krusei had a higher colonization ability compared to C. glabrata. The low CFU count of C. glabrata is consistent with Tati et al. 2525 Tati, S; Davidow, P; McCall, A; Hwang-Wong, E; Rojas, IG; Cormack, B; et al.. Candida glabrata binding to Candida albicans hyphae enables its development in oropharyngeal candidiasis. PLoS Pathog 2016;12:e1005522 who tried to establish a model of oropharyngeal candidiasis with C. glabrata. The authors used inocula size of ranging 1x1010 cells/mL and recovered 4-7x102 cells/mL from the tongue. Moreover, it was not observed infection with C. glabrata resulted in no clinical appearance of disease or weight loss in animals.

Regarding the quantification of C. glabrata CFU/mL in mixed infections, we verified that the amount of yeast recovered was significantly lower (1.44 log10 of reduction) compared to single infection. The present study is pioneering in documenting of oral colonization by mixed infection of C. krusei and C. glabrata in mice models and indicates that further studies are required to investigate the interactions among Candida species using a larger number of strains in order to elucidating the mechanisms of how these species compete amongst themselves during the biofilm formation and oral colonization.

Within the parameters of this study, we concluded that C. krusei inhibits C. glabrata and takes advantage to colonize the oral cavity and to form biofilms.

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the state funding agency FAPESP - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil (Grants #2012/02184-9 and #2013/25181-8).

References

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    Peeters, E; Nelis, HJ; Coenye, T. Comparison of multiple methods for quantification of microbial biofilms grown in microtiter plates. J Microbiol Methods 2008;72:157-165.
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    Pereira-Cenci, T; Del Bel Cury, AA; Crielaard, W; Ten Cate, JM. Development of Candida-associated denture stomatitis: new insights. J Appl Oral Sci 2008;16:86-94.
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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    Nov-Dec 2017

History

  • Received
    11 Nov 2016
  • Accepted
    28 July 2017
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