Detection of antibodies toCandida albicans germ tube as a possible aid in diagnosing systemic candidiasis in bone marrow transplant patients

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Abstract
Indirect immunofluorescence assays to detect antibodies toCandida albicans blastospore and germ tube were performed in sera of 29 bone marrow transplant patients. Antibodies to germ tube were present in the sera of six patients, in four of whom aCandida albicans infection was highly probable, while in the other two patients it was not possible to determine the previous course. No healthy blood donors had these antibodies. On the other hand, detection of antibodies toCandida albicans blastospore showed low specificity in the diagnosis of systemic candidiasis. These preliminary findings suggest that the detection of antibodies toCandida albicans germ tube may be an important aid in the diagnosis of systemic candidiasis in bone marrow transplant patients.