Maybe this study helps answer 1 of the questions

Your questions are great and I wish I knew the answers! That's probably why you haven't gotten much response from people, there isn't easy info (that I've seen, anyway), that proves a certain answer to either one of those questions...

so I did a little online search. I don't know about your first question, but as for the question about white blood cells, this study says "Like many microbial pathogens, the yeast Candida albicans can form biofilms that normally provide protective environments against antifungals, antibodies, and white blood cells..."
Maybe that's part of the issue.

http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001117