Alveolar macrophage reaction to Candida species.

Candida species are increasingly important fungal pathogens. The reaction of rat alveolar macrophages (AM) to Candida albicans was compared with that to C. glabrata and C. krusei. Phagocytosis of C. glabrata was similar to that of C. albicans, but significantly slower for C. krusei due to reduced attachment. After opsonization, attachment of C. albicans and C. krusei to AM was significantly increased and there was no significant difference between the two species. The oxidative metabolism of AM with candida species was two to three times higher than that of the resting AM both during and 24 h after the phagocytosis. All three species showed a considerable fraction (5-10%) of phagolysosomes with pH > or = 6.5 after 3 h and a smaller percentage (1%) after 24 h.