Evaluation of Immunotherapy in Invasive Candidiasis: Antifungal Activity and Cytokine Expression Assays

Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida spp. can cause serious infections in hospitalized and immunocompromised patients. A large number of antifungal agents and immunomodulators have been developed and may interact with both polymorphonuclear and mononuclear phagocytes against blastoconidia and pseudohyphae of Candida spp. Blastoconidia are predominantly destroyed by phagocytosis, whereas pseudohyphal killing is initiated after the attachment of phagocytes to the cell wall of the organism and subsequent extracellular release of oxidative and nonoxidative metabolites. An array of methods to evaluate phagocytosis of blastoconidia, oxidative burst, expression of cytokines and chemokines in response to Candida spp., as well as candidacidal activity are described in this chapter.