[Specific soluble cell-wall antigens of "Candida tropicalis" demonstrated by crossed immunoelectrophoresis (author's transl)].

In the present study, soluble cytoplasmic extracts of Candida albicans and C. tropicalis were prepared and showed respectively 67 and 47 precipitates in crossed immunoelectrophoresis performed with a commerical goat anti-C. albicans immunserum. Purified cell walls of C. tropicalis have been prepared, and corresponding antiserum was got in rabbits. Although important cross-reacting antigens exist between soluble cytoplasmic extracts of C. albicans and C. tropicalis, the C. tropicalis cell wall antiserum precipitated antigens in crossed immunoelectrophoresis only in C. tropicalis soluble cytoplasmic extracts. The present study: - confirms that C. albicans shared 70% of the antigens with C. tropicalis; - demonstrates that soluble cytoplasmic antigens prepared by homogenization of yeasts contain cell wall constituents; - allows us to prepare a specific immune serum for C. tropicalis.