Water molecules bound to fibrils by hydrogen bonds play an important role on the surface fibrillar structure of Candida albicans cells.

Influence of surrounding media on the appearance of surface structure of Candida albicans was further investigated by rapid-freezing and freeze-fracturing techniques with a scanning electron microscope. Fibrillar structure was observed on the surface of the cells treated with water, chloroform, trichloroethane, toluene or isoamyl alcohol, but not on that of the cells treated with methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, acetic acid or acetone. The appearance of the fibrillar structure is proposed to be discussed in a viewpoint of the chemical interactions among the constituent molecules of a fibril, water molecules bound to the fibril molecules and the molecules of surrounding medium, especially a role of water molecules bound to the fibril molecules by hydrogen bonds.