Antigenic variability between Candida albicans blastospores isolated from healthy subjects and patients with Candida infection.

Blastospores of 10 strains of C. albicans isolated from patients were compared with 10 strains from healthy subjects for their ability to detect antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence, with sera from the same patients and healthy subjects. Strains from patients were significantly more reactive with sera from patients than were strains from healthy individuals, but both groups of strains were equally reactive with sera from healthy subjects. These preliminary results indicate that the antigenic structure of C. albicans is not stable: there may be blastospore antigens that are qualitatively or quantitatively variable with the pathogenic behaviour of strains in vivo.