CANDIDA-ALBICANS STRESS MANNOPROTEINS EXPRESSION IN SUPERFICIAL AND SYSTEMIC CANDIDIASIS

The presence of heat shock mannoproteins (HSMPs) reactive with sIgA wa s demonstrated in several C. albicans strains, The subculture of the C . albicans isolated from mucosa surfaces on Sabouraud's dextrose agar at 25 degrees C switched off the HSMP expression. A re-expression of t he HSMPs was obtained in the same medium by shifting the temperature o f incubation to 37 degrees C. However, expression of HSMPs in two stra ins isolated from deep infections was maintained during several subcul tures on Sabouraud's dextrose agar at 25 degrees C. A glycoprotein of 200 kDa seemed to be the main HSMP reacting with vaginal sIgA. The dat a presented in this study suggest that factors other than temperature can influence the expression of C. albicans HSMPs and therefore these antigens should be referred as stress mannoproteins.