[Values and limitations of the detection of circulating Candida antigen (Cand-Tec) in the diagnosis of deep candidiasis].

Diagnosis of systemic candidiasis is difficult and often performed lately. It can be improved by Candida antigen detection, using agglutination of latex particles sensitized with anti-Candida albicans antibody. Candida antigen search was made in 407 sera obtained from 123 patients, in Hematology and in intensive care units. Fourty three patients had, at least, one serum positive for antigen. The titer was 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8. Twenty seven of the 43 patients had C. albicans in one or several localizations. Eight of these 27 patients had a systemic candidiasis: C. albicans grown from three blood samples, at least, and/or from organ biopsy. In these eight patients, the antigen titer was 1/4 ou 1/8. Eighty patients were Candida antigen negative. Thirty eight out of 80 had C. albicans in one or more sites and two of these 38 had systemic candidiasis. Five other patients had other Candida species. Two out of five had C. tropicalis and C. guillermondii septicemia.