A Study on the Effectiveness of Activated Murine Peritoneal Macrophages in Killing Candida Albicans Hyphae

The ability of Candiada albicans to convert from yeast to hyphal form enhances the ability of this opportunistic organism to evade normal host defenses. Since cell-mediated immunity plays a vital role in resistance to candidosis, macrophages, phagocytic cells of the immune system, are particularly important in elimination of Candida. When activated, macrophages exhibit increased candidaciadal activity. Previous studies have focused on the ability of activated macrophages to kill the yeast form of the organism. However, because it is the hyphal form that predominates in infected tissue, it is of interest to examine the role of activated macrophages in elimination of the hyphal form. The focus of this investigation was to test the ability of activated macrophage populations to kill c. albicans hyphae. The sources of macrophage activation were c. albicans and Listeria moncytogenes. It was hypothesized that macrophages activated by c. albicans hyphae due to previous exposure to the organism. However, the results of macrophages are more effective