Increased induction of interleukin 8 (IL-8) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) by oral epithelial cells may play a role in the host defense mechanism in oropharyngeal candidiasis; however, little is known about the expression feature of these molecules on human gingival epithelial cells (HGECs) during Candida albicans infection. In this report we present evidence that neutralization with antibody against ICAM-1 inhibited both the adherence of C. albicans to HGECs and the Candida-induced production of IL-8, suggesting a role for ICAM-1 in recognition and signaling in HGECs to express IL-8 upon infection with C. albicans.