Effects of triamcinolone acetonide on experimental oral candidiasis in monkeys

abstract – Thirteen adult monkeys (Macaca irus) were infected with Candida albicans by inoculating the microorganisms under an acrylic plate covering the palatal mucosa. Six of the monkeys were treated with the steroid triamcinolone acetonide intramuscularly for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after inoculation. The palatal mucosa was studied clinically and histologically at weekly or biweekly intervals for up to 5 months after inoculation. The cellular immune response was studied using the direct leukocyte migration test. In the group of seven non-steroid-treated monkeys an acute atrophic candidiasis developed that healed spontaneously in 2—3 weeks. No tissue invasion by Candida was seen in tissue sections, but the inflammation was pronounced. Migration inhibition was significant up to 5 months after infection. In the group of six steroid-treated monkeys an acute pseudomembranous candidiasis was induced that showed retarded healing, tissue invasion by Candida, and enhanced yeast proliferation. Inflammation was only slight and the peripheral blood leukocytes were not inhibited in their migration by Candida antigen. The study has shown that systemic treatment with the steroid, triamcinolone acetonide, potentiate oral Candida infections, probably by suppressing both non-specific inflammatory responses and cellular immunity.