On the Existence of Cross‐Reactive Antigens between Candida and Mycobacterium

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Abstract
The existence of cross‐reactive antigens between the genera Candida and Mycobacterium and their distributions among the following 7 strains of genus Candida and 9 strains of genus Mycobacterium were investigated by gel‐diffusion precipitation and passive hemagglutination reaction: C. albicans 1001, C. krusei 1005, C. guilliermondii 1007, C. stellatoidea 1016, C. tropicalis 1003, C. parakrusei 10232, C. pseudotropicalis 1004, M. tuberculosis (H37Rv and Nakano), M. bovis (BCG and Miwa), M. avium (Takeo), M. phlei (Phlei), M. smegmatis (Smegma and M607) and M. microti (Vole). Strong cross‐reactions between C. pseudotropicalis and various strains of Mycobacterium (H37Rv, Nakano, BCG and Miwa) were observed and weak cross‐reactions between C. krusei and the same strains of Mycobacterium by both gel‐diffusion precipitation and passive hemagglutination reaction. Cross‐reactions were not observed by the same precipitation reaction between any other strains of Candida and any strains of Mycobacterium. By passive hemagglutination reactions, cross‐reactions between C. albicans, C. guilliermondii or C. parakrusei and some strains of Mycobacterium were observed although the cross‐reactions between these strains were not demonstrated by gel‐diffusion precipitation. Although existence of the cross‐reactive antigens could not be demonstrated in the cells of C. stellatoidea and C. tropicalis by either gel‐diffusion precipitation or the passive hemagglutination reaction, the cells of these two Candida strains could absorb the cross‐reactive antibodies from the anti‐Mycobacterial sera which react to the antigens of C. pseudotropicalis and C. krusei. These results suggest that C. stellatoidea and C. tropicalis contain minor cross‐reactive antigens which could not be demonstrated by direct methods. The results indicate rather wide distribution of the cross‐reactive antigens among the genus Mycobacterium and of limited distributions among the genus Candida.