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Salivary histatin‐5 and oral fungal colonisation in HIV+ individuals
Author(s) -
Torres Sandra R.,
GarzinoDemo Alfredo,
Meiller Timothy F.,
Meeks Valli,
JabraRizk Mary Ann
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
mycoses
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.13
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1439-0507
pISSN - 0933-7407
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0507.2008.01602.x
Subject(s) - saliva , colonisation , candida albicans , oral mucosa , biology , population , corpus albicans , immunology , opportunistic infection , microbiology and biotechnology , mycosis , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , medicine , colonization , viral disease , environmental health , anatomy
Summary The oral cavity is a primary target for opportunistic infections, particularly oral candidiasis caused by the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans . HIV+ individuals constitute a population highly susceptible to oral candidiasis possibly due to a change in the environment of the oral cavity as the result of salivary gland dysfuntion. Histatins are a family of salivary antimicrobial peptides which under normal circumstances have a protective function on the oral mucosa. This study aimed to compare salivary histatin concentrations and oral fungal colonisation in an HIV+ and HIV− control populations. Oral samples for fungal cultures and parotid saliva were collected from all subjects. Fungal identification was determined using standard mycological procedures. In order to determine salivary histatin levels a semi‐quantitative ELISA was designed using a specific polyclonal antibody and extensive statistical analysis was performed. Forty‐seven percent of HIV+ and 17% of control subjects had positive fungal cultures. Mean histatin levels were 7.32 μg ml −1 for the HIV+ group and 9.17 μg ml −1 for control group ( P = 0.003). The data from this study demonstrate that the level of fungal colonisation is significantly higher in HIV+ individuals whereas histatin‐5 concentrations are significantly lower, likely contributing to the enhanced predisposition of this population to oral candidiasis.