Candida Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Candida, including details on thrush infections, yeast, diet, treatment, symptoms.

Candida albicans binds to saliva proteins selectively adsorbed to silicone.

Holmes AR, van der Wielen P, Cannon RD, Ruske D, Dawes P

Department of Oral Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Explanted voice prostheses obtained from 5 patients at the time of prosthesis replacement were consistently colonized by yeast, in particular Candida albicans. A simple, reproducible, in vitro model of C. albicans adherence to saliva-coated voice prosthesis silicone was developed. Whole saliva promoted adherence of C. albicans to silicone in a dose-dependent manner. Saliva rinses from voice prosthesis patients also promoted binding of C. albicans to silicone in vitro (mean adherence 14.9% +/- 2.8% of input C. albicans cells). This was significantly higher than C. albicans adherence to silicone in the absence of saliva (P < .001) or adherence promoted by saliva rinses from healthy volunteers (P < .005). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and a blot overlay adherence assay revealed that certain salivary proteins were selectively adsorbed to silicone and that C. albicans yeast cells adhered specifically to the adsorbed salivary proteins.

Published 25 September 2006 in Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod, 102(4): 488-94.
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