[Antifungal immunity and its mechanism in female genitalia].

Objective: A review of immunological aspects of fungal infections with focus on vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Design: Review.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Hradec Kralove, Charles University in Prague, Department of Biological and Medical sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hradec Kralove, Charles University in Prague, Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology, University Hospital, Hradec Kralove, Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital, Hradec Kralove.

Subject And Method: Survey and discussion of current immunological aspects of vulvovaginal candidias based on literature review and personal experience.

Conclusion: The current knowledge of immunity to Candida vulvovaginitis, particularly from experimental studies on animal models, support a more relevant role of local protection mechanisms than systemic immunity. As a consequence of this compartmentalization of the immune response, the role of innate and adaptive immunity remains unclear. The development of vulvovaginal candidiasis depends on a number of factors, including both the individual predisposition of a macroorganism and the properties of a fungal strain, and the environmental conditions influencing a delicate balance between the host and the yeast.