RESUMO
A total of one hundred and fifty-two strains of different Candida species was obtained from five hundred and ten human aces of candidiasis. The isolates could be identified as 67 Candida albicans, 20 C. Krusei, 18 C. tropicalis, 10 C. utilis, 9 C. pseudotropicalis, 8 C. parapsilosis, 6 C. lipolytic; 5 each of C. guilliermondii and C. stellatoidea and 4 C. tenusi. Experimental infection in mice showed that C. albicans and C. Krusei were most pathogenic than other species. The study of immune response after experimental injection in rabbits with the most pathogenic strains of each Candida species by agglutination, double diffusion, passive hemagglutination and ELISA was carried out. All the techniques were done using the whole cell antigen and extracts with ether, petroleum ether, chloroform and ethanol. Cross antigenic reaction was demonstrated between the six Candida species. Using the agglutination, precipitation and hemagglutination techniques were able to detect specific antibodies in eight out of seventy-five patients serum samples. The number of serologically positive cases was higher [22.6%] by using the ELISA method