Abstract
Objectives
Down syndrome (DS) individuals are highly susceptible to oral candidiasis. Histatin 5 exhibits potent antifungal properties in vitro. We aimed to reveal the relationship between salivary histatin 5 concentrations and oral fungal colonization in DS and healthy control individuals (C).
Subjects and Methods
Candida species of oral samples were identified using CHROMagar Candida. Salivary histatin 5 concentrations were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results
The DS and C groups were subdivided according to age: C-1 and DS-1, age < 20 years, and C-2 and DS-2, age > 40 years. The percentages of subjects with positive Candida cultures were 29.2% 8.3%, 65.0%, and 74.2% in the C-1, C-2, DS-1, and DS-2 groups, respectively; the concentrations of salivary histatin 5 in the four groups were 2.09 +/- 1.40 μg ml-1, 4.47 +/-1.33 μg ml-1, 2.12 +/- 0.97 μg ml-1, and 3.12 +/- 1.24 μg ml-1, respectively.
Conclusions
Candida colonization was significantly higher in the DS-1 and DS-2 groups than in the C-1 and C-2 groups. Histatin 5 concentrations were not different between the DS-1 and C-1 groups, but were significantly lower in the DS-2 group compared with the C-2 group. Thus, it is possible that they contributed to the enhanced predisposition to oral candidiasis in the older population.
Keywords: Salivary antifungal peptide, Histatin 5, Down syndrome, Fungal colonization, Candida albicans