The yeast form of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis strain Pb18 was able to activate C3 of normal human serum diluted in phosphate-buffered saline or EGTA-MgCl2 in vitro. C3 convertase was also permissive when Pb18 cells were pre-treated with a pool of immune serum from patients with paracoccidioidomycosis and incubated in serum diluted in EDTA-CaCl2. The components C3, and fragments C3c, C3d, C3g, factor H, factor B, C4 and C5b-9 were demonstrated on the Pb18 cell surface by immunofluorescence although no effect was seen on fungal viability.