Histochemical and Immunochemical Study of the Fate of Candida albicans Inside Human Neutrophil Phagolysosomes

Abstract

To further define the ultrastructural events associated with the killing of Candida albicans by human neutrophils, four methods were used: (1) the periodate-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) staining of vicinal-glycol-containing complex carbohydrates; (2) the localization of thermostable immunodeterminants of the yeast cell wall, mannans or mannoproteins, using monospecific antibodies and a protein A-gold complex (monAb-gold); (3) the localization of mannose residues with concanavalin A labeled with gold particles (Con A-gold); (4) the localization of chitin oligomers using wheat germ agglutinin and ovomucoid labeled with gold particles (WGA-gold). The mannan-rich cell wall layers were progressively lost as shown by altered PA-TCH-SP reactivity and a diffuse pattern of staining with Con A-gold and monAb-gold. The de novo appearance of conspicuous amounts of glycogen-like particles near the plasmalemma and in the cell wall was interpreted as evidence of a reparative process of the yeast cell wall. Chitin was seemingly unaltered and readily demonstrated by the WGA-gold in the wall remnants of ghost cells.