Effect of the imidazole derivative lombazole on the ultrastructure of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans

Abstract

Lombazole, an antimicrobial agent of the imidazole class, induced profound ultrastructural changes in Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans, as observed by freeze fracture electron microscopy. In S. epidermidis cells, the primary effect on ultrastructure was characterized by a distinct change in the morphology of the plasma membrane. Secondary effects of lombazole were cell wall thickening, accumulations of lipidlike material, abnormal cell division, severe change of shape, separation of the plasma membrane from the cell wall, and disruption of cells. The alterations in C. albicans were characterized by the deformation of and a decrease in the number of invaginations in the protoplasmic fracture face and corresponding ridges on the exoplasmic fracture face and by separation of the plasma membrane from the cell wall, leaving a gap which frequently contained small vesicles. Moreover, a considerable thickening of the cell wall occurred at localized regions. These structural alterations are discussed in relation to biochemical changes which may correlate with these phenomena.

Furrow-like invaginations of the yeast plasma membrane correspond to membrane compartment of Can1

“…Grooves that are almost identical to those observed in the plasma membrane of S. cerevisiae have been found in several other yeast species, such as Candida albicans (Barug and de Groot, 1985) and Schizosaccharomyces pombe (Takeo, 1984), in other fungi, such as Lichinella stipatula (Büdel and Rhiel, 1987) and Spotothrix schenckii (Svoboda and Trujillo-Gonzalez, 1990), in bacteria, such as Micrococcus (Sleytr and Kocur, 1971;Sleytr et al, 1976) and in green algae, including several Chlamydomonas species (Clarke and Leeson, 1985). Similar structures were also observed in higher plants, such as Plumbago zeylanica (Southworth et al, 1997).…”

Mechanism of Fungal Growth Suppression by Inhibitors of Ergosterol Biosynthesis

“…Although there are exceptions, fungi show growth reduction (about 50% inhibition) within one to several hours of treatment with 0.1 to 2.0 ppm of a sterol inhibitor (3,26,31,33,39,41,42,(51)(52)(53). The human pathogen Candida albicans and the plant pathogenic Ustilago maydis, U_.…”

Eisosome Ultrastructure and Evolution in Fungi, Microalgae, and Lichens

“…1C) (8), and Candida albicans ( Fig. 1D) (10). The alternative, which we designate "elongated," entails long eisosomes that are oriented either randomly, as in Penicillium sp.…”

“…Such invaginations, also called furrows or troughs, have since been identified in additional freeze fracture EM studies of S. cerevisiae (2)(3)(4)(5)(6) and other fungi (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”