Identification of immunodominant antigens of Candida albicans in patients with superficial candidosis

Abstract

The aims of this study were to identify the immunodominant protein antigens of Candida albicans in patients with superficial infections of the oral and vaginal mucosa. Cytoplasmic protein extract from C. albicans was analyzed by the immunoblot technique using sera from 20 patients with chronic atrophic oral candidosis, from 8 patients with vulvovaginal candidosis, and from 20 control subjects. A significantly greater proportion of patient sera reacted with the 65- and 32-kDa antigens when compared with sera from controls ( P < 0.001). Sera from patients also reacted more often with 38- and 29-kDa antigens ( P < 0.05), while sera from both patients and controls reacted with the 47-kDa antigen. The identified 65-, 38-, 32-, and 29-kDa antigens may be of importance for the development and also for the recurrence of superficial candidosis of the oral and/or vaginal mucosa.