<i>Candida</i>–streptococcal interactions and oral diseases.

A. Confocal fluorescence microscopy images of C. albicans–S. mutans mixed biofilms, illustrating the spatial relationship between C. albicans (blue), S. mutans (green), and exopolysaccharides (red). B. Images of teeth from rats infected with S. mutans, C. albicans, or coinfected. Black arrows indicate severe carious lesions of coinfections in which enamel is missing, which exposes underlying dentin. Such rampant caries was absent in the animals infected by S. mutans or C. albicans alone. C. Fluorescence microscopy images of harvested mouse tongues infected with S. oralis (red, see arrows), C. albicans (green), or both. Coinfection substantially increased bacterial–fungal biofilm accumulation, soft tissue invasion, and inflammatory response. Original images provided by Dr. Anna Dongari-Bagtzoglou; adapted from Sobue T. and colleagues, Methods Mol Biol. 1356:137–52, 2016, with permission. EPS, exopolysaccharides.