Prevalence of oral colonization with Candida albicans and anti-C. albicans IgA in the saliva of normal children and children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

The prevalence of oral colonization with C. albicans was studied in 40 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and 40 matched normal children. Colonization was more common in the ALL group (25% colonized) than the normal group (7.5% colonized). Total saliva IgA levels were lower in the ALL group, but low levels did not correlate with oral colonization. The three normal children with oral colonization all had anti-C. albicans IgA in their saliva, as had seven of the ten colonized ALL patients.