Different antibody response against Candida albicans cell wall antigens in cervicovaginal secretions of patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Vaginal washings from 118 women were investigated by means of immunofluorescence for the presence of antibodies against Candida albicans. A significantly (p less than 0.02) higher antibody titer was found in the samples from patients with clinically evident vulvovaginal candidiasis. Vaginal secretions from those patients with a positive culture for C. albicans were assayed by means of Western blotting. A distinct band pattern was found in the group of patients with a positive culture and the classical clinical picture of C. albicans vulvovaginitis.