Transfer factor in the treatment of chronic mucocuataneous candidiasis

Abstract

The use of “transfer factor” to correct a partial defect in cellular immunity to Candida albicans was studied in an 8-year-old girl with chronic granulomatous mucocutaneous candidiasis. The patient first presented at age 5 years with extensive deforming encrusted lesions on her face, head, trunk and extremities. No evidence of endocrinopathy or antibodies to endocrine tissue was found. Her general humoral immunity was intact. She had a normal complement of granulocytes and lymphocytes. Candida aggregation activity was present in her serum. Her skin test response to C. albicans extract was consistently negative. Her lymphocytes underwent blastogenesis to PHA, diphtheria toxoid and C. albicans extract. However, in the presence of exogenous transfer factor, blastogenesis to candida increased. Transfer factor extracted from her cells did not transfer immunity to non-sensitized cells. Amphotericin B therapy cleared her skin lesions temporarily, but neither fresh frozen plasma injections nor 5-fluorocytosine was effective. Following 2 injections of transfer factor, she developed a positive skin test response to C. albicans extract, and her lymphocytes produced leukocyte inhibition factor (LIF) to candida. After a third injection there was appreciable clearing of the skin lesions. These findings indicate that exogenous transfer factor can restore cellular immunity to candida in a patient with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and may be an effective treatment for this disease.