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The appearance of Candida antigen (Latex agglutination method), Candida antibodies (indirect immunofluorescence) and positive fungal cultures as well as the lymphocyte transformation response to Candida antigen "in vitro" was studied in a series of 37 successive patients before and after heart valve replacement. The Candida antigen test was positive preoperatively in 11/36 (31%) and postoperatively in 14/36 (39%) of the patients and in 2/200 (1%) of the controls (blood donors). The differences in the frequencies of positive tests between the patient group and the control group are significant (p less than 0.001). The lymphocyte response to Oidiomycin (Candida albicans) preoperatively was greater than the mean control value in 6/11 (54.5%) of the patients showing a positive Candida antigen test, but only in 4/25 (16.0%) of the patients who were Candida antigen negative. The total number of lymphocytes and the number of ANAE positive (T) cells as well as the lymphocyte response to Oidiomycin (OID), tuberculoprotein (PPD) and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) decreased markedly postoperatively. Candida antibody titres were positive (greater than or equal to 1:128) in 3/37 (8%) of the postoperative patients and in 2/84 (2.4%) of the controls. This difference is not significant. Positive Candida antibody titres were found postoperatively in 15/37 (41%) of the patients, which is a significantly higher frequency than that seen preoperatively (p less than 0.005). More positive fungal cultures from throat specimens (p less than 0.005) were found in the patient group before surgery than in the control group (hospital personnel). After surgery the number of positive fungal cultures in these cases decreased (p less than 0.001) due to the use of oral antifungal prophylaxis with nystatin tablets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)