Serologic Diagnosis of Yeast Infections

Tests for agglutinating, precipitating, and immunofluorescent IgM and anti-human-globulin antibody to Candida albicans were performed on 50 blood bank serum specimens, 52 consecutive serum specimens from patients without Candida infection submitted to a fungal serology laboratory, and 17 serum specimens from patients with serious yeast infections. On the basis of a combination of the agglutinin, precipitin, and anti-human-globulin tests, less than 2% of controls, 75% of patients with C. albicans infection, and 40% of those with infections due to other yeasts had clinically significant antibody levels.