Figure 5. A mouse model for candidiasis.

Using an engineered strain of Candida albicans the switch from the yeast to the filamentous forms can be modulated by growth on doxycycline¹⁶³. After pretreatment with this antibiotic, the mice are infected by injection into the tail vein with C. albicans and the mice can be analysed to determine the virulence of the yeast and filamentous forms — under the strict control of antibiotic treatment. In this model, candidiasis can be assessed by measuring the fungal burden in different parts of the anatomy and through histopathological examination.