Studies of Candida serology in denture stomatitis patients

The aim of the study was to determine the humoral antibody response to Candida by means of hemagglutinin and precipitin tests and to correlate these results to yeast colonization in the oral sites and feces and to the relapse tendency after treatment; and furthermore, to evaluate whether Candida serology can serve as a tool to predict a denture stomatitis risk group. The serologic tests were performed by means of passive hemagglutination (HA) and immunoelectroosmophoresis (counterimmunoelectrophoresis, CIE) tests in 51 denture stomatitis patients and compared with 25 individuals in the reference group. There were significantly more patients with increased hemagglutinin titers (pos. greater than or equal to 1:160) to Candida albicans polysaccharide (mannan) antigen and/or precipitin to crude C. albicans cytoplasmic antigen in serum (P less than 0.01) than in the reference group. In the denture stomatitis group there was no correlation between the presence of hemagglutinating and precipitating Candida antibody in serum and the parameters yeast colonization of the oral sites/feces, yeast score on the denture base and palatal erythema score. After local oral antimycotic treatment there was no significant change in the serum Candida hemagglutinin titers and serum precipitins. Serologic tests might be useful as a guidance in a selected group of patients for continued prosthetic treatment and as a prognostic instrument.