Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology logoLink to Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology
. 1996;4(4):225–231. doi: 10.1155/S1064744996000439

Investigations by Cell-Mediated Immunologic Tests and Therapeutic Trials With Thymopentin in Vaginal Mycoses

Werner Mendling 1,3,✉, Ursula Koldovsky 2
PMCID: PMC2364501  PMID: 18476097

Abstract

Objective: According to unsatisfactory therapeutic results in patients with chronically recurrent vaginal candidosis, we investigated if immunologic patient factors could be found and treated.

Methods: In 42 women with chronically recurrent and 20 women with acute Candida albicans vulvovaginitis, as well as 14 women with C. glabrata vaginitis, the following investigations were carried out: identification of yeast species; quantification of T lymphocytes and their subpopulations in sera; proliferation tests of T lymphocytes in vitro; treatment of 18 patients with chronically recurrent vaginal candidosis with the synthetic T-lymphocyte- stimulator thymopentin; and, finally, control of the above-mentioned parameters in the clinical course.

Results: Women with C. albicans vulvovaginitis showed fewer T lymphocytes and subpopulations in the peripheral blood than healthy women. Only the number of non-specific killer (NK) cells, however, was significantly lower in cases of acute C. albicans vulvovaginitis. In women with C. glabrata vaginitis, the number of T lymphocytes in the blood was within the normal range. In vitro proliferation tests using mitogens, bacterial antigens, and commercially available candida antigens with and without addition of thymopentin were carried out on the T lymphocytes of women with chronically recurrent C. albicans vulvovaginitis. These tests revealed no significant differences compared with the other patients with C. albicans infections. The patients were treated with thymopentin. Those women who revealed an increase of initially low numbers of T-helper cells recovered from vaginal candidosis after thymopentin treatment.

Conclusions: The peripheral T lymphocytes may be diminished in patients with chronically recurrent C. albicans vaginitis, and immunologic treatment can reduce the relapse rate.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (492.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Cohen L. Is more than one application of an antifungal necessary in the treatment of acute vaginal candidiasis? Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1985 Aug 1;152(7 Pt 2):961–964. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(85)80011-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Danley D. L., Polakoff J. Rapid killing of monocytes in vitro by Candida albicans yeast cells. Infect Immun. 1986 Jan;51(1):307–313. doi: 10.1128/iai.51.1.307-313.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Djawari D., Simon M., Jr, Burkardt B. Macrophage functions in patients suffering from chronic muco-cutaneous candidosis. Arch Dermatol Res. 1983;275(6):412–414. doi: 10.1007/BF00417344. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fegeler K., Macher E., Nolting S. Tierexperimentelle Untersuchungen zur Immunität bei der Infektion mit Candida albicans (1. Fortsetzung). Mykosen. 1978 Jun;21(6):177–contd. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ghannoum M. A., Abu-Elteen K. H. Pathogenicity determinants of Candida. Mycoses. 1990 Jun;33(6):265–282. doi: 10.1111/myc.1990.33.6.265. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Greenfield R. A. Host defense system interactions with Candida. J Med Vet Mycol. 1992;30(2):89–104. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Mathur S., Mathur R. S., Dowda H., Williamson H. O., Faulk W. P., Fudenberg H. H. Sex steroid hormones and antibodies to Candida albicans. Clin Exp Immunol. 1978 Jul;33(1):79–87. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Melbye M., Schønheyder H., Kestens L., Stenderup A., Gigase P. L., Ebbesen P., Biggar R. J. Carriage of oral Candida albicans associated with a high number of circulating suppressor T lymphocytes. J Infect Dis. 1985 Dec;152(6):1356–1357. doi: 10.1093/infdis/152.6.1356a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mendling W. Die Torulopsidose in der Frauenheilkunde. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 1984 Sep;44(9):583–586. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1036308. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mendling W., Koldovsky U. Immunological findings in patients with chronically recurrent vaginal candidosis and new therapeutic approaches. Mycoses. 1989 Aug;32(8):386–390. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0507.1989.tb02268.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mendling W., Koldovsky U. Immunological investigations in vaginal mycoses. Mycoses. 1996 May-Jun;39(5-6):177–183. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0507.1996.tb00122.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mendling W., Metzger P. Bestimmung des sekretorischen Immunoglobulin A im Zervikovaginalsekret gesunder Frauen mit einer ELISA-Methode. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 1994 Jul;54(7):417–420. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-1022870. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Piccolella E., Lombardi G., Morelli R. Human lymphocyte-activating properties of a purified polysaccharide from Candida albicans: B and T cell cooperation in the mitogenic response. J Immunol. 1980 Nov;125(5):2082–2088. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Redondo-Lopez V., Lynch M., Schmitt C., Cook R., Sobel J. D. Torulopsis glabrata vaginitis: clinical aspects and susceptibility to antifungal agents. Obstet Gynecol. 1990 Oct;76(4):651–655. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Sinha B. K., Monga D. P., Prasad S. Studies on the role of macrophages in experimental candidosis in mice. Mykosen. 1987 Mar;30(3):105–112. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sobel J. D. Management of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis with intermittent ketoconazole prophylaxis. Obstet Gynecol. 1985 Mar;65(3):435–440. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Török I., Farkas B. Die Bedeutung der Phagozyten und des T-Lymphozyten-Systems bei der Abwehr von Candida albicans-Infektionen (Ubersicht). Mykosen. 1986 Oct;29(10):486–490. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Valdimarsson H., Higgs J. M., Wells R. S., Yamamura M., Hobbs J. R., Holt P. J. Immune abnormalities associated with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. Cell Immunol. 1973 Mar;6(3):348–361. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(73)90035-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Vecchiarelli A., Bistoni F., Cenci E., Perito S., Cassone A. In-vitro killing of Candida species by murine immunoeffectors and its relationship to the experimental pathogenicity. Sabouraudia. 1985 Oct;23(5):377–387. doi: 10.1080/00362178585380541. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Walther T., Rytter M., Schönborn C., Haustein U. F. Differences in the intracellular killing of proteinase-positive and proteinase-negative Candida albicans strains by granulocytes. Mykosen. 1986 Apr;29(4):159–161. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Witkin S. S., Hirsch J., Ledger W. J. A macrophage defect in women with recurrent Candida vaginitis and its reversal in vitro by prostaglandin inhibitors. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1986 Oct;155(4):790–795. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(86)80022-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Witkin S. S., Yu I. R., Ledger W. J. Inhibition of Candida albicans--induced lymphocyte proliferation by lymphocytes and sera from women with recurrent vaginitis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1983 Dec 1;147(7):809–811. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(83)90044-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES