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Candidiasis: antibodies to Candida albicans in blood
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
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Antibodies to Candida albicans are normally absent in the blood serum.
Most often, candidiasis is caused by Candida albicans. Candida albicans is an oval yeast-like fungus that reproduces by budding and spore formation. Normally, Candida are representatives of the resident microflora of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract (normally, during a bacteriological examination of feces, the content of Candida albicans does not exceed 10 4 CFU / ml) and female genitourinary organs. The main cause of candidal infection is immunosuppression associated with chemotherapy for malignant tumors or organ transplantation. The second most common cause of systemic candidiasis is extensive burns and extensive surgical interventions, especially on the abdominal organs.
Diagnostics of superficial candidiasis is based on the detection of fungal elements in a stained smear. In visceral forms of candidiasis, serological studies are of great diagnostic importance. The ELISA method is used, which allows detecting IgG antibodies to Candida albicans. Antibodies are detected by the enzyme immunoassay method in more than 90% of patients already in the first 2 weeks of the disease, in those who have recovered, they persist for up to 5 years. To confirm the diagnosis, it is important to monitor the dynamics of the antibody content, a 4-fold increase in antibody titers between the acute and convalescent stages allows us to assume the etiology of the disease, a 4-fold decrease in their level during treatment is an indicator of successful therapy of the disease.
Serological diagnostics for superficial candidiasis is ineffective; only severe forms of skin and mucous membrane lesions are accompanied by an increase in antibody levels.
Determination of antibodies to Candida albicans is necessary for the diagnosis of candidiasis of various localizations:
- purulent inflammatory processes;
- inflammatory lung diseases;
- inflammatory diseases of the pharynx;
- inflammatory diseases of the genital organs.
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