Lower filamentation rates of Candida dubliniensis contribute to its lower virulence in comparison with Candida albicans

Candida albicans and C. dubliniensis are very closely related yeast species. In this study, we have conducted a thorough comparison of the ability of the two species to produce hyphae and their virulence in two infection models. Under all induction conditions tested C. albicans consistently produced hyphae more efficiently than C. dubliniensis. In the oral reconstituted human epithelial model, C. dubliniensis isolates grew exclusively in the yeast form, while the C. albicans strains produced abundant hyphae that invaded and caused significant damage to the epithelial tissue. In the oral-intragastric infant mouse infection model, C. dubliniensis strains were more rapidly cleared from the gastrointestinal tract than C. albicans. Immunosuppression of Candida-infected mice caused dissemination to internal organs by both species, but C. albicans was found to be far more effective at dissemination than C. dubliniensis. These data suggest that a major reason for the comparatively low virulence of C. dubliniensis is its lower capacity to produce hyphae.