Detection of IgG Antibodies Specific for Candida albicans Antigens in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

The levels of IgG antibodies specific for enolase, extracellular proteinase (EPR) and common antigens of Candida albicans, namely, the 67, 62, 29 and 25 kDa components in five children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were sequentially monitored by Western blot analysis. The total amounts of immunoglobulins in all sera of patients were below the normal range. Enolase-specific antibodies were detected in four of the five patients and in 38-57% of healthy children. EPR-specific antibody which was not detected in healthy children was shown only in one patient. In contrast, antibodies specific for the 67, 62, 29 and 25 kDa components were frequently detected in patients as well as in healthy children. In most cases in which specific antibodies were detected, the intensities of bands were sequentially decreased during chemotherapy, especially for the 29 and 25 kDa. Candida cells were recovered from four patients with enolase-specific antibodies. These preliminary results justify a large-scale study of quantitative tests of antibodies for enolase, EPR, and 29 and 25 kDa components of C. albicans to clarify their usefulness for monitoring candidal infection and immune status during chemotherapy in patients with ALL.