The cell wall galactomannan antigen from Malassezia furfur and Malassezia pachydermatis contains beta-1,6-linked linear galactofuranosyl residues and its detection has diagnostic potential.

Lipophilic yeasts of the genus Malassezia are associated with several skin diseases, such as pityriasis versicolor, Malassezia folliculitis, seborrhoeic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis, and are also increasingly associated with catheter-related fungaemia. The cell wall components of pathogenic micro-organisms behave as an antigen and/or ligand of the innate immune response. Live cells of Malassezia furfur and Malassezia pachydermatis did not react with an anti-alpha-1,2-mannoside antibody. However, they showed a strong hydrophobicity and reactivity with an anti-beta-1,3-glucan antibody compared to those of C. albicans. The cell wall polysaccharides of M. furfur and M. pachydermatis were isolated and their structures analysed by (1)H and (13)C NMR experiments. Both polysaccharides were shown to be beta-1,6-linked linear galactofuranosyl polymers with a small amount of mannan. The presence of galactomannan on cells of Malassezia species has not been described previously. The galactomannan did not react with an anti-Aspergillus fumigatus monoclonal antibody which has specificity for beta-1,5-linked galactofuranosyl residues. An anti-M. furfur antibody strongly reacted with the galactomannans of M. furfur and M. pachydermatis, but did not react with the galactomannans of Trichophyton rubrum, A. fumigatus or Fonsecaea pedrosoi. The characteristics of the anti-M. furfur antibody suggest that there is potential for diagnosis of Malassezia infections by antigen detection.