Drosophila have been used to model infection by multiple species of yeasts in the Candida family, as well as to screen for potential treatments. The most commonly studied species are Candida albicans and Candida glabrata.
Familial candidiasis is a group of rare human disorders that confer reduced immunity to Candida infections; see OMIM phenotypic series MIM:PS114580. None of the genes implicated in familial candidiasis have high-ranking orthologs in Drosophila.
Adult Drosophila and S2 cells have been used to model Candida infections. While wild-type flies are generally unaffected by Candida infections, mutants with defects in the Toll pathway (FBgg0001059), such as the Tl-recruited adaptor protein Myd88, are less likely to survive Candida infections. Phagocytosis of Candida by hemocytes is a critical defense. The secreted protein Mcr binds to the surface of C. albicans, which promotes its phagocytosis by hemocytes.
[updated June 2019 by FlyBase; FBrf0222196]
Extremes of age, injury, antibiotic use, and a compromised immune response predispose individuals to the development of mucosal or life-threatening systemic infections. C. albicans is now the fourth most common organism detected in systemic infections, and mortality approaches 35%. The predisposition of neutropenic and HIV+ patients with decreased CD4+ T cells to C. albicans infections suggests that both innate immunity and acquired cell-mediated immunity are involved in mediating host resistance to C. albicans infections. (Stroschein-Stevenson et al. 2006 and references therein, FBrf0191376.)
Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis includes a group of rare disorders with altered immune responses, characterized by persistent and/or recurrent infections of the skin, nails, and mucous membranes caused by organisms of the genus Candida, mainly Candida albicans (Zuccarello et al. 2002, pubmed:12205111). (Adapted from MIM:114580, accessed 2019.06.24.)
Candida normally lives inside the body (in places such as the mouth, throat, gut, and vagina) and on the skin without causing any problems. Candida yeasts can cause infections if they grow out of control or if they enter deep into the body (for example, the bloodstream or internal organs like the kidney, heart, or brain). Candidiasis that develops in the mouth or throat is called "thrush" or oropharyngeal candidiasis. Candidiasis in the vagina is commonly referred to as a "yeast infection." Invasive candidiasis occurs when Candida species enter the bloodstream and affect internal organs like the kidney, heart, or brain. (From https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/candidiasis/index.html, accessed 2019.06.24.)
