EFFECT OF MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES DIRECTED AGAINST CANDIDA-ALBICANS CELL-WALL ANTIGENS ON THE ADHESION OF THE FUNGUS TO POLYSTYRENE

The adhesion of Candida albicans to polystyrene and the effect of thre e monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) reactive with C. albicans cell wall sur face antigens on this process was assessed in vitro with several C. al bicans strains. In the absence of mAbs, adhesion of C. albicans to pol ystyrene increased in parallel with germ-tube formation. However, the growth of the strains in the yeast phase at 25 degrees C or the use of an agerminative mutant inhibited adhesion to polystyrene. Serotype A and B strains showed similar kinetics of adhesion to polystyrene and n o statistically significant differences in germination or adhesion wer e observed when strains from the two serotypes were compared. The thre e mAbs had different effects on both germination and adhesion of C. al bicans. mAb 3D9 showed no influence on either germination or adhesion to polystyrene in two C. albicans strains, mAb B9E decreased both adhe sion (45.6%) and filamentation (52.6%), and mAb 21E6 decreased filamen tation (34.0%) but enhanced adhesion by 23.3%. This enhancement was al so observed with the agerminative mutant and it was dose-dependent. It was not related to the binding capacity of the MAb to polystyrene nor to an increase in cell surface hydrophobicity of the antibody-treated cells, In conclusion, both growth phases of C. albicans can adhere to polystyrene, although the conditions for this process seem to be diff erent in each phase. The two types of adhesion of C. albicans to polys tyrene might have a role in the colonization of medical implants. The disparate effects shown by mAbs directed against cell wall mannoprotei ns of C. albicans on the adhesion of the fungus to polystyrene should be taken into consideration when designing strategies to block the adh esion of C. albicans to plastic materials with mAbs.