Candida viswanathii . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract

Abstract A description is provided for Candida viswanathii . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. DISEASE: There is little knowledge relating to the pathogenicity of Candida viswanathii . The organism has been isolated on two occasions from the cerbrospinal fluid of patients with fatal meningitis, but unfortunately, in both cases, further clinical investigations were not possible and postmortem examinations were not undertaken (Sandhu et al., Sabouraudia 14: 251-241, 1976). Experiments with laboratory animals have demonstrated variable pathogenicity between strains. Sandhu et al. were able to recover the organism from multiple organs of 1/4 rabbits and 4/4 mice following intravenous inoculation with one strain of Candida viswanathii but from only 1/4 rabbits and 0/4 mice challenged with a second strain ( Sabouraudia 4: 37-40, 1965). Histopathological evidence of infection was only rarely demonstrated. In a later study with a third strain of C. viswanathii 8/10 cortisone treated mice died within 2 weeks of intravenous inoculation of the organism whereas only 1/10 untreated mice died. Histological evidence of infection was shown in all affected mice. In a recent study of experimental pathogenicity of Candida species, Candida viswanathii was found to be lethal to untreated mice on intravenous inoculation with doses of > 1 × 10 cells. Although shown to be less pathogenic than either C. albicans or C. tropicalis, C. viswanathii was the only other species to have a lethal effect on untreated mice (Bistoni et al., Sabouraudia 22: 409-418, 1984). GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: All clinical isolates have so far been from India. Extra-human sources have come from South Africa and Indian Ocean.