FIG 7.

Induction of hyphal morphogenesis prior to oral infection rescues the OPC defect of the rvsΔ mutant strains. The strains were pregrown for 90 min in standard medium lacking serum (−) or in medium containing 10% bovine serum (+serum) to induce hyphal morphology. (A) The strains were then used to infect the oral cavity of mice, and 4 days later, the CFU per gram of tongue was determined. LOD indicates the limit of detection. Bars indicate medians and interquartile ranges. Statistical comparisons were made using a nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. (B) The remaining tongue homogenates were then treated with 1 M KOH to dissolve mouse tissue, and the C. albicans cell walls were then stained with the fluorescent dye calcofluor white and visualized by fluorescence microscopy. The results represent a summary of data from at least two independent infection experiments for each C. albicans strain.