Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 10 1995, 2543-2549, Vol 33, No. 10
MW Ollert, C Wende, M Gorlich, CG McMullan-Vogel, M Borg-von Zepelin, CW Vogel and HC Korting
The increased prevalence and the severity of oropharyngeal candidiasis in
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients are attributed
exclusively to the virus-induced immune deficiency of the host. The present
study was aimed at answering the question of whether Candida albicans
secretory proteinase, a putative virulence factor of the opportunistic C.
albicans yeast, has any potential influence on the clinical manifestation
of oropharyngeal candidiasis in HIV-positive patients. We measured the
secretory proteinase activities of clinical C. albicans isolates from the
oropharynges of either HIV-positive individuals (n = 100) or a control
group (n = 122). The mean secretory proteinase activity of C. albicans
isolates from the HIV-positive group (4,255 +/- 2,372 U/liter) was
significantly higher compared with that of isolates from the control group
(2,324 +/- 1,487 U/liter) (P < 0.05). The higher level of secretory
proteinase activity in the culture supernatants of individual C. albicans
isolates correlated with the increased level of proteinase expression on
the cell surface, as revealed by cytofluorometry, and with higher levels of
secretion of the immunodetectable protein, as shown by Western blotting
(immunoblotting). Proteinase activity within the population of C. albicans
isolates from HIV-positive individuals was independent of the patient's
clinical disease stage and the CD4+/CD8+ cell numbers. Furthermore, no
correlation of the proteinase activities with the C. albicans serotype was
found, although C. albicans serotype B was significantly more frequent in
the HIV-positive group (40%) compared with that in the control group (12%).
However, a positive correlation of proteinase activity to antifungal
susceptibility was evident.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Copyright © 1995 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Increased expression of Candida albicans secretory proteinase, a putative virulence factor, in isolates from human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients
Department of Dermatology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, Germany.
This article has been cited by other articles:
| Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. | Clin. Microbiol. Rev. |
|---|---|
| Clin. Vaccine Immunol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |
|---|