Figure 5.

Class 4—Strategies to reduce damage. C. albicans as an ‘Immunoreactive Opportunist’ in gastro-intestinal candidiasis, with mucosal damage occurring under weak (hypo) or strong (hyper) host responses and minimal damage under moderate responses (black curve). Antifungals and/or probiotics (green arrows) reduce fungal loads and promote healthy levels of GI colonization, thereby reducing host damage associated with Candida overgrowth or hyperimmune activation. Immune stimulatory mediators would boost hypoimmune responses (white arrow), while anti-inflammatory mediators (blue arrow) would suppress hyperimmune responses, both resulting in a return to the homeostatic host response level and minimal host damage.