Abstract: Objective To analyze the expression of secreted aspartyl proteinases (Sap) in human vaginal infection in vivo. Methods Vaginal swabs were collected from 9 healthy volunteers and 20 patients with vaginal candidiasis, and the expression of Sap1-6 was evaluated by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction using specific primer sets. Results The Sap2 and Sap5 were the most common genes expressed in the patients with vaginal candidiasis. The expression Sap3 and Sap4 was detected in all subjects. All six Sap genes were simultaneously expressed in some patients with vaginal candidiasis. Conclusion The data shows that the Sap genes may be involved in the pathogenesis of vaginal candidiasis.

Key words: Candidiasis,vulvovaginal, Candida albicans, Aspartic endopeptidases