The antigens of Candida albicans.

Abstract

The first significant study on the antigenic structure of Candida albicans was reported by Hopkins and Benham in 1929 (1). These investigators, using reciprocal cross absorption of antisera with the various immunizing strains, and employing tube agglutination as the serologic method, found some antigenic differences among strains of C. albicans. Benham, in 1931, using the same serologic technique, reported that six of seven strains of C. albicans were antigenically identical, but that the seventh strain was somewhat different. Candida albicans, C. pampsilosis, and C. krusei, were easily differentiated on an antigenic basis (2). Stone and Garrod, in 1931, using supernatant fluids from autoclaved yeast-cell suspensions as antigen in complement-fixation and precipitation reactions, found C. albicans and C. tropicalis to be indistinguishable from each other (3). However, these investigators used only one antiserum, and no absorption studies were done. Almon and Stovall, in 1934, using reciprocal cross absorption studies and tube agglutination as the serologic method, also reported that C. albicans ano.. C. tropicalis were antigenically identical ( 4). Martin, in 1942, concluded that tube agglutination gaye unreproducible results. He studied the antigenic relationship of C. albicans, C. parakrusei, C. stellatoidea, and C. tropicalis by complement-fixation and precipitation reactions (5). His antigens were prepared by autoclaving a 10 per cent yeast suspension and using the supernatant fluid. These studies indicated that all of the species possessed a common antigen, but that some contained antigens not found in the others. He postulated that three different antigens were present in these species, and designated them X, Y, and Z. All four species possessed the X antigen. Candida albicans and C. stellatoidea had all three antigens, and differed from each other only in the relative proportions of Y and Z. Candida parakrusei possessed the Z antigen but not the Y, whereas