Humoral immune responses to systemic Candida albicans infection in inbred mouse strains.

The protective role of humoral antibodies in the resolution of systemic candidiasis remains controversial. Investigation of the humoral immune responses in mouse strains of varying susceptibility to infection may demonstrate a link between mouse strain susceptibility, antibody production and specificity, and the ability to resolve an infection. The antibody response in five different strains of mice during primary immune response to systemic infection with Candida albicans was investigated.

Enumeration of viable Candida albicans blastospores using tetrabromofluorescein (eosin Y) and flow cytometry.

A rapid assay was developed for determination of the viability of blastospores of Candida albicans utilizing flow cytometry to detect the accumulation of tetrabromofluorescein in non-viable yeast cells. Eosin Y was shown to stain non-viable C. albicans blastospores selectively without affecting the cellular viability of competent yeast cells or resulting in non-specific staining of viable cells.

Production of antibodies to antigens of Candida albicans in CBA/H mice.

Reported targets of the specific immune responses to Candida albicans in human candidiasis include a 47-kDa breakdown product of a 90-kDa heat shock protein (HSP 90) (R. Matthews and J. Burnie, FEMS Microbiol.

Experimental erythrocyte autoimmunity. II. Autoantibody-specific suppressor cells present in blood.

Mice injected with rat RBC produce RBC autoantibodies and spleen cells that delay autoantibody production. In this report it is shown that transfer of 5 X 10(6) blood leukocytes from mice producing autoantibodies to syngeneic recipients before the injections of rat RBC were started, significantly delayed autoantibody production. These circulating suppressor cells were effective if transferred up to 3 weeks before the first injection of rat RBC and were destroyed by 2,000 rad of irradiation before transfer.