A new neutrophil candida killing test: chromium-51 release from Candida guilliermondii

Neutrophil candidacidal function was measured by a chromium-51 (51Cr) release technique, using Candida guilliermondii as the test organism. The effect of varying the neutrophil:candida ratio, the time course of 51Cr release, the effect of different serum concentrations, and the reproducibility of the technique were investigated. Results from 33 experiments, using neutrophils from 35 normal donors and six patients with known neutrophil defects, show the technique to be a reliable and reproducible assay of candida killing. The chromium release assay has the advantage of being easy to perform and not liable to subjective errors.