Candidacidal Capacity Research Articles

Defective candidacidal capacity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in chronic granulomatous disease of childhood

<h2>Summary</h2> Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from patients with chronic granulomatous disease of childhood phagocytize <i>C. albicans</i> normally but are unable to kill the intracellular organisms. PMN from normal human adults and newborn infants phagocytize and kill approximately 30 per cent of intracellular organisms in 60 minutes. Sera from control subjects and patients with chronic granulomatous disease are actively opsonic for <i>C. albicans</i>. Heated serum is not opsonic but opsonic capacity can be restored by addition of <i>C. albicans</i> absorbed fresh serum. Both specific heat-stable and nonspecific heat-labile serum factors are necessary for opsonization of <i>C. albicans</i>.