Treatment Guide

MEDICAL RESEARCH: “Pediatric case series evaluating a standardized Candida albicans skin test prod

 

 Editors’ note: This study investigating the value and safety of Candin for clinical use in children demonstrated effectiveness and safety.  Candin is a reagent or skin test for sensitivity to Candida albicans, a yeast microorganism that can cause infection.  The study recommends using Candin in combination with other reagents in infants with anergy to see if they react to antigens other than Candida albicans.  Anergy is described in Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary as the impaired or absent ability to react to common antigens administered through skin testing. Antigens are markers on the surface of cells that stimulate production of antibodies.  In this study, Candin was tested at the same time as a skin test for tuberculosis (purified protein derivative tuberculosis) for comparison of results.

 

Ohri LK, Manley JM, Chatterjee A, Cornish NE.

Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178-0117, USA. lohri@creighton.edu 

Ann Pharmacother. 2004 Jun;38(6):973-7. Epub 2004 Apr 14.

Background: A ready-to-use, standardized Candida albicans skin test product (Candin) first became available in 1995. As of April 6, 2004, no published reports have been found describing efficacy or safety with pediatric use of this reagent.

Objective: To present a case series describing experience with use of Candin to assess 78 pediatric cases for delayed-type hypersensitivity.

Methods: The standardized C. albicans reagent was one of up to 4 antigens used to evaluate patients’ cellular immunity. Candin was used with purified protein derivative tuberculosis testing for 76 patients (4 mo-16 y of age) and for anergy testing alone in 2 cases. Candin was used with at least one other skin test reagent for 24 subjects.

Results: Fifty-three of 78 subjects (68%) responded to at least one skin test antigen. Candin had an overall response rate of 64% (50/78). There was a response to Candin in 54% (13/24) of subjects with multiple reagents applied, the highest rate of any antigen used. There was a 27% (3/11) positive Candin response for subjects <1 year of age; this compared with 21% and 23% in 2 published reports on use of nonstandardized tests for this age group. No adverse events were associated with use of Candin.

Conclusions: Candin testing gives similar or better response rates compared with published data on older, nonstandardized C. albicans reagents and other anergy test antigens used in this case series. It should be used in combination with multiple other control antigens to most effectively assess for anergy, particularly in infants, as well as in patients recognized to be immune deficient.

About Cleo Libonati, RN, BSN

Avatar photo
Cleo Libonati, RN, BSN is CEO and co-Founder of Gluten Free Works, Inc. and Glutenfreeworks.com. She is the author and publisher of the highly recommended celiac disease reference guide, Recognizing Celiac Disease.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

x

Check Also

Those Painful Cracks in the Sides of Your Mouth? You Can Fix Them in Two Days

Those Painful Cracks in the Sides of Your Mouth? You Can Fix Them in Two Days

My neighbor came over to chat last week.   I noticed he had cracks in ...

True Story: Doctor Says “Don’t Eat Wheat Ever Again”

  This is a quote that a lot of people are hearing these days. What ...

How to Discover Seemingly Unrelated Symptoms Are Connected

Celiac Disease is sometimes referred to as having a cascading effect where symptoms beget symptoms ...