EVALUTION OF ACTIVITY OF ACID ASPARTIC PROTEINASE IN CANDIDA STRAINS . ISOLATED FROM ORAL CAVITY OF PATIENTS WITH INCREASED RISK OF MYCOSIS

Abstract

We have evaluated the activity of acid aspartic protease in 195 strains of Candida isolated from the oral cavity of three groups of patients. The first group comprised patients with cancer of the larynx qualified for surgery, the second- patients with neoplastic disease (Hodgkin's disease, lymphoma, acute granulocytic leukaemia, lymphatic leukaemia, lung cancer, multiple myeloma, stomach cancer, breast cancer) who were not treated, the third group- patients with neoplastic diseases treated by chemotherapy. The strains of fungi were differentiated using API 20C and Api 20C AUX tests according to the protocol adopted at the Department of Medical Parasitology and Biology, Medical University of Łódż. The activity of acid protease was studied by Staib method in Rózga modification. Almost all strains showed high and very high proteolytic activity. The rang of proteolysis zone of Candida strains from the three groups of patients varied from 2,5 to 12,5 mm. We have found the mean proteolytic zones of strains isolated from groups Iand III differed statistically significantly (p<0,001). Similarly, statisticall sihnificant difference was seen between these parameters for groups II and III (p<0,05), while there was no difference between strains from group I and II