Description:

1. Intended Use The GenWay Candida albicans IgG Antibody ELISA Test Kit has been designed for the thedetection and the quantitative determination of specific IgG antibodies against Candida albicans inserum and plasma. Further applications in other body fluids are possible and can be requested fromthe Technical Service of GenWay.

2. General InformationInvasive candidal mycosis (synonyms: candidosis, candidiasis) account for more than 80% of thecases of deep-seated mycoses in Germany. This incidence is similar to those of other industrialcountries. The main causative agent is the yeast Candida albicans, which is the only fungal speciesbelonging to the „normal“ microflora. Candida albicans has a low pathogenic potential, whichrarely allows it to infect a healthy host. Rather, in immunosuppressed individuals it may causeseveral diseases as an opportunistic pathogen. In candidal mycosis three types of disease can be distinguished. First, Candida albicans can infectthe skin and the mucous membranes of the outer genitals, mouth, respiratory tract and digestiontract. Second, skin and mucous membranes may be infected, encouraged by factors like pregnancy,diabetes mellitus, immunodeficiency and therapies with cytostatics or antibiotics. Third, theinfestation of the inner organs, for example the lungs in a Candida sepsis can cause death inimmunosuppressed individuals with a cellular immunodeficiency. Serological tests are frequently used to ascertain the clinical significance of Candida spp. isolates.Rising titers of lgG antibodies to Candida albicans may reflect invasive candidiasis inimmunocompetent individuals. The detection of IgA and IgM antibodies is important to identify afresh infection. Immunosuppressed individuals often fail to produce antibodies, so a negativeantibody test does not necessarily rule out the disease. In this case the use of an antigen detectiontest is recommended. Besides the detection of antibodies and antigen, the site of manifestation, thenumber of colony-forming units, and the concomitant use of antimycotics must be considered.

3. Principle of the TestThe GenWay Candida albicans IgG antibody test kit is based on the principle of the enzymeimmunoassay (EIA). Candida albicans antigen is bound on the surface of the microtiter strips.Diluted sample serum or ready-to-use standards are pipetted into the wells of the microtiter plate. Abinding between the IgG antibodies of the serum and the immobilized Candida albicans antigentakes place. After a one hour incubation at room temperature, the plate is rinsed with diluted washsolution, in order to remove unbound material. Then ready-to-use anti-human-IgG peroxidaseconjugate is added and incubated for 30 minutes. After a further washing step, the substrate (TMB)solution is pipetted and incubated for 20 minutes, inducing the development of a blue dye in thewells. The color development is terminated by the addition of a stop solution, which changes thecolor from blue to yellow. The resulting dye is measured spectrophotometrically at the wavelengthof 450 nm. The concentration of the IgG antibodies is directly proportional to the intensity of thecolor.

Additional Information: