In vivo oral coinfection demonstrates trafficking of phagocytes from tongue tissue to draining cervical lymph nodes and progression of systemic MRSA infection. (A and B) Numbers of CFU in tongue tissue following administration of Hanks balanced salt solution (HBSS), Candida albicans SC5314 alone (CA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 alone (SA), or Candida albicans SC5314 alone and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 (CA+SA) to the oral cavity of C57BL/6 mice at 1 to 2 days (B) or 3 days (A) following oral inoculation of S. aureus. (C and D) Numbers of CFU in the draining cervical lymph nodes (C) and kidneys (D) at 3 days post-oral inoculation with S. aureus. (E) Flow cytometry analysis of cervical lymph node (LN) cell suspensions following fixation, host macrophage (PE-Cy7A-F4/80) or neutrophil (Pacific Blue [PAC Blue]-Ly6G) antibody labeling, permeabilization, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (FITC-S. aureus antibody [Ab]) labeling 3 days following oral inoculation of uninfected controls or S. aureus and C. albicans dual species-infected mice. (F and G) Numbers of CFU in cervical lymph nodes (F) and kidneys (G) at 1 to 2 days postinoculation of S. aureus. P values were determined by one-way analysis of variance with Dunnett’s multiple-comparison test. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.001.