[Predisposing factors in candidiasis. Animal experimental studies and clinical findings with special regard to immunity].

In the presence of predisposing factors which are considered as a local or general impairment of the host's defence mechanisms, the opportunistically pathogenic character of Candida albicans transforms into a parasitic one thus favoring the development of candidosis. The clinically reporting part of the paper deals with the predisposing factors and clinical features of candidosis. In animal experiments, we attempted to find out to what extent and whether exclusively the cellular immune system protects the host from Candida albicans infection. Our findings suggest that the cell-mediated immunity and phagocytosis are of fundamental importance in overcoming a candidosis and in resistance to Candida albicans. The humoral immune system plays a minor role, which may be limited to the stimulation of macrophages.