THE ANTIFUNGAL EFFECT OF LACTOFERRIN AND LYSOZYME ON CANDIDA-KRUSEI AND CANDIDA-ALBICANS

Lactoferrin and lysozyme (muramidase) are non-immune defence factors p resent in various exocrine secretions, including saliva. Previous stud ies have shown that both proteins, either singly or in combination, ar e bactericidal in nature and their combined activity is synergistic. A s little is known of their interactions with Candida species, 20 oral isolates of C. krusei and 5 isolates of C. albicans were studied for t heir susceptibility to human apo-lactoferrin and lysozyme, either sing ly or in combination, using an in vitro assay system. The two species exhibited significant interspecies differences in susceptibility to la ctoferrin (p<0.05), but not for lysozyme; C. krusei being more sensiti ve to lactoferrin (c 1.4 times) than C. albicans. Both species reveale d significant intraspecies differences in their susceptibility to lyso zyme (p<0.05), but not for lactoferrin. No synergistic antifungal acti vity of the two proteins on either Candida species was noted. The resu lts imply that the variable expression of the fungicidal activity of l actoferrin and lysozyme on Candida species may modulate the oral carri age of yeasts in a complex manner.