Figure 5.

Candidalysin is required for renal neutrophil recruitment and immunopathology. (A and B) Histopathology of the kidney of mice after 1 day of infection with 2 × 10⁵Candida albicans cells of the indicated strains. Sections (A, low magnification; B, high magnification) were stained with Gomori methenamine silver (GMS). Fungal cells are filamentous and stained black, and polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells are round and dark purple. Scale bar = 50 µm. (C) Histopathology of the pelvis region (top and middle) and renal cortex (bottom) of the mouse kidney 4 days postinfection with 2 × 10⁵C albicans cells of the indicated strains. Sections were stained with GMS. Fungal cells are filamentous and stained black, and PMN cells are round and purple surrounding fungal filaments. Only wild-type C albicans invades the pelvis region with local immunopathology, whereas the ece1Δ/Δ remains in the renal cortex. Scale bar = 200 µm. (D) Myeloperoxidase (MPO) expression in kidney homogenates after 1 day of infection with 2 × 10⁵C albicans cells of the indicated strains. Results are median ± interquartile range of 2 independent experiments with 10 mice per strain. Statistical significance is indicated by ****, P < .0001 (Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons).