The use of immunofluorescence for identification of yeastlike fungi in human infections.

Abstract

The use of immunofluorescence in the field of mycology has been successfully applied by Gordon to the identification of Candida albicans, Histoplasma capsvlatum, and Blastomyces dermatitidis in pure cultures. This approach was used in experimental infections of mice with C. albicans by Kemp and Solotorovsky. Using tissue strains, they were able to demonstrate Candida in tissues with more clarification than that achieved in the conventional histologic identification. Eveland and associates found that the specificity of immunofluorescence was not affected by formalin fixation of tissues containing Cryptococcus neojormans, and in further studies on C. neojormans Kase and Marshall found that the size of the capsule did not affect the intensity of the fluorescence in either pure cultures or the affected tissues. In 1961 Kaufman and Kaplan made a conjugated ant\-Histoplasma capsulatwn serum with fluorescein isothiocyanate which stained 6 strains of / / . capsulatwn, but also had cross-reactions with 18 heterologous species of yeasts in the 11 genera tested. They were able to eliminate this cross-reaction by adsorption of the antiserums, either with B. dermatitidis or Coccidioides immilis. In 1962, Lynch and Plexico applied the conjugated anti-Histoplasma serum to the identification of / / . capsulatwn in 2S patients with proved or suspected pulmonary histoplasmosis. They compared the fluorescent antibody technic with the more accepted culture methods and found that 22 of 25 culturally positive specimens manifested good reactions with the fluorescent antibody staining. In addition, 7 culturally negative specimens in histologically proven histoplasmosis yielded positive reactions with the fluorescent antibody method. Procknow and associates applied this technic to