Investigations by Cell-Mediated Immunologic Tests and Therapeutic Trials With Thymopentinin Vaginal Mycoses

摘要

Objective:According to unsatisfactory therapeutic results in patients with chronically recurrentvaginal candidosis, we investigated if immunologic patient factors could be found and treated.Methods:In 42 women with chronically recurrent and 20 women with acuteCandida albicansvulvovaginitis, as well as 14 women withC. glabratavaginitis, the following investigations werecarried out: identification of yeast species; quantification of T lymphocytes and their subpopulationsin sera; proliferation tests of T lymphocytes in vitro; treatment of 18 patients with chronicallyrecurrent vaginal candidosis with the synthetic T-lymphocyte- stimulator thymopentin; and, finally,control of the above-mentioned parameters in the clinical course.Results:Women withC. albicansvulvovaginitis showed fewer T lymphocytes and subpopulationsin the peripheral blood than healthy women. Only the number of non-specific killer (NK) cells, however, was significantly lower in cases of acuteC. albicansvulvovaginitis. In women withC. glabratavaginitis, the number of T lymphocytes in the blood was within the normal range. In vitroproliferation tests using mitogens, bacterial antigens, and commercially available candida antigenswith and without addition of thymopentin were carried out on the T lymphocytes of women withchronically recurrentC. albicansvulvovaginitis. These tests revealed no significant differencescompared with the other patients withC. albicansinfections. The patients were treated with thymopentin.Those women who revealed an increase of initially low numbers of T-helper cells recovered from vaginal candidosis after thymopentin treatment.Conclusions:The peripheral T lymphocytes may be diminished in patients with chronically recurrentC. albicansvaginitis, and immunologic treatment can reduce the relapse rate.