Occurrence of Serum Agglutinins for Candida Albicans and Saccharomyces Cerevisiae in a Hospital Population

Abstract

The agglutinins for C. albicans were titrated in 469 serums submitted to the laboratory for routine serologic tests for syphilis. Agglutinin titers for Saccharomyces were detd. simultaneously in 251 serums. The incidence of detectable agglutinins was greater for Candida than that reported by other workers. There was a significant trend for serums to have no agglutinins for either Candida or Saccharomyces or to have detectable agglutinins for both organisms. Because of the high incidence of serum agglutinins for Candida in a hospital population and because of the known cross-agglutination reactions between Candida and other yeastlike fungi, the agglutination test should be used only as an adjunct in clinical diagnosis. Qualitative Kolmer complement-fixation tests and Kline diagnostic flocculation tests for syphilis and an estimation of the serum agglutinin titer for C. albicans were performed on 458 of these serums. When the results of individual tests were charted, there was no more realization between positive Kolmer and Kline tests and the presence of detectable agglutinins for C. albicans than would be expected by the laws of chance.