We report our studies of the mechanism of the adhesion of mannans of Candida albicans NIH A-207 and C. albicans NIH B-792 strains to the surface of a polystyrene microtiter plate being utilized for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (EIA) of antigens of this pathogenic yeast species. This binding was manifested predominantly by the peptide moieties of the mannans forming hydrophobic bonds with the plastic molecule. Eliminating the peptide of each mannan by treating it with a hot aqueous alkaline solution of NaBH4 also eliminated color development in the EIA.