Johannes Savolainen1,2, M. Viander1, R. Einarsson3, A Koivikko2
1Medical Microbiology and
2Pediatrics, University of Turku, Finland
3Pharmacia Diagnostics AB, Uppsala, Sweden
Tóm tắt
The allergenic variation of six <i>Candida albicans</i> strains was studied by immunoblotting with pooled sera from 20 <i>C. albicans</i>-RAST-positive subjects. The presence of a 46-kilodalton (kD) protein, the major allergen, and a 29-kD protein, an intermediate allergen, was shown in crude extracts from disrupted cells (six strains). There was a significant variation in the content of the major <i>C. albicans</i> allergen (46 kD) between the different strains. Surface extracts of all six <i>C. albicans</i> strains contained mannan. Immunoblotting of cell wall extracts of intact <i>C. albicans</i> (agar plate) of different age revealed the strongest IgE binding in cultures incubated for 36–50 h. Due to the varying proportions of allergens demonstrated in the different strains of <i>C. albicans</i>, the starting source material for extract production should be a pool of individual strains, which all should be analysed prior to pooling. Special attention should be paid to the selection of <i>C. albicans</i> strains, and a parameter such as the breakability of the strain should be considered.
