FLUOROMETRIC-DETERMINATION OF ACID PROTEINASE ACTIVITY IN VULVO-VAGINAL CANDIDOSIS

Vulvovaginal candidosis is one of the most frequent disorders in obste trics and gynaecology. Candida albicans is commonly considered to be t he true vaginopathic agent. The secreted acid proteinase might be espe cially relevant in the pathogenesis of vulvovaginal candidosis. A fluo rometric determination of acid proteinase activity of clinical C. albi cans isolates was carried out during the present work using fluorescam ine. L-Leucyl-L-alanine was included as an internal standard and the r esults were expressed as nmoles of leucylalanine equivalents h(-1) per 2 x 10(4) cells. The 13 isolates were taken from non-diabetic, non-pr egnant women aged 22-35 years with vulvovaginal candidosis. Candida al bicans ATCC 44858 was used as a control. The proteinase activity in cu lture supernatants was detectable starting from the mid- to late- expo nential phase of growth, peaked between 30 and 46 h, and then declined . The control had an activity of 2.72 nmol h(-1) per 2 x 10(4) cells, whereas eight of the samples had a lower activity (1.05 nmol h(-1) per 2 x 10(4) cells on average) and five of the samples had a higher acti vity (6.53 nmol h(-1) per 2 x 10(4) cells on average). The fluorometri c determination of acid proteinase activity was found to be more repro ducible and sensitive than the previously used spectrophotometric dete rminations.