[Measurement of Candida-specific lymphocyte proliferation by flow cytometry in children with atopic dermatitis].

To study a role of Candida albicans in the development of atopic dermatitis (AD) from the viewpoint of cellular responses, we measured Candida-specific lymphocyte proliferation by flow cytometry in children with AD. There was no apparent age-dependent change in the level of Candida-SIF (stimulation index measured by flow cytometry) in either AD or non-atopic control subjects. The level of Candida-SIF was significantly higher in AD patients than in non-atopic controls (178.0 +/- 89.3 vs 137.9 +/- 37.6, p < 0.02), and the incidence of subjects with the elevated Candida-SIF level (> or = 200) was significantly higher in AD patients than in non-atopic controls (27.9% (17/61) vs 2.6% (1/38), p < 0.005). There was no correlation between the levels of Candida-SIF and Candida-specific IgE antibody. These results suggest that Candida albicans contributes to the development of AD in some patients not only by Type I, but also by Type IV hypersensitivity reactions.